Evening star., 1938-06-05
STAR WASHINGTON D. q, JUNE s. sss-pARr FIVE
HYMN OF PRAISE BY LUDWIG
Roosevelt Biography Marked by Inflated Judgment About Matters
Familiar to Publicly Annunzio Pictured by Associate.
Reviews of Current Books

Something OF Signor Antonaini's
earnest closeness to his subject NAV
Be gathered from the regret which he
Expresses In his opening chapter that
he saw DAnnunxio nude no more than
three or four times in all the years of
his service. He has had 1t for his in.
tent obviously to bring every detail Of
the Poets" being to his readers, and
the fact that his master had, as he
says, . savage modesty" trouble him,
since it prevents him from giving Z
more than impressionistic description
Of D'Annunxio's physique. In Just
such = spirit Of meticulous intensity
he writes Of all aspects Of D'Annun.
NOS career-his family relations, his
animal pets. his various homes, his
love affairs. his political ambitions,
his financial difnculties, and 30 on.
He does not set aside any chapter for
. discussion Of "the Poets" character,
but abundantly analyses and synthe-
sizes 1t for his readers in the telling Of
events. 1t is an admirable system for
biographer to follow. but needs the
exceptional experience Of long per-
sonal knowledge for It's adoption. The
fact that few writer's of lives have
that experience makes this work stand
out, poignant beyond the best of the
life histories which have been merely
compiled from researches and-as it
Is called--creative thinking.
D'Annunzio, to most people, Is =
sort Of vague monster. . writer Of
poetry which few Americans read, but
which they will concede to be great
though not great enough to offset its
authors personal queeTness-a mod
ern personification. indeed. Of the
time -honored belief that geniuses are
very bad people and live only to be
remembered after they are dead. their
lives being better forgotten. Yet. as
with Byron, 1t Is by his life that
D'AnnunZio Is recalled, for, as said,
very few Of us have any first-hand
knowledge of his justifying poetry.
To set 80 muddled . state Of opinion
to rights seems to have been Signor
Antongini's almost religious purpose
He takes up, one by one. the various
legends which have grown UP about
his beloved Poet" traces them down
to their sources and shows them to
have been quite sroundless or else
fantastic exasgeratons. Then, hav-
ing done this, he recounts his hero's
actually fantastic qualities with, ap-
parently, no consciousness of their
having been IN any way extraordinary.
Yes. he tells US, D'Annunzo had
countless love affairs and was faith
less and cynical with the women who
trusted him most. But what OF that?
He was so: it was his nature. Yes.
D'Annunzio was egotistical beyond
any ordinary Interpretation Of the
word-but what Of that? He was 30;
1t was his nature. And 50 on. The
result Is a well-rounded book and a
well-executed picture Of the Poets"
nature, indeed. No reader need be
disturbed by the authors champion
ing Of the subject for. as said. the
facts are all there. It Is quite pos
sible to read them and to treat the
rest with appropriate discretion.
Whatever direction that discretion
may take, 1t must be conceded that
this author has done an exceptionally
fine piece Of biographical portraiture.
YOUNG MAN WITH A HORN. By
Dorothy Baker. Boston: Houghton
Mifiiin Co.
THIS Is one more Of the Houghton
Mifnin Fellowship novels. II
seems to be . better piece Of work
than the early winners Of those an
nual awards. It Is q hard-boiled
novel. the description to be taken as
sisnifyins : type. 1t tells the story
Of young kid born In q slum and
gifted with musical genius. He be-
comes the great man Of swing and
then drinks himself to death. He
does this because the world Is out
Of joint.
There is nothing to 1t particularly
except that 1t is 4 competent piece Of