Evening star., 1941-12-04

rlSh on those left. as over and
above THEN own merit. they have
4 the added attraction of forbidden
fruit"
For the postwar Frenchman
translations of English books are the
only form of foreign literature avail
able for the time being. The Ger
man writer's like Feuchtwanger,
Stefan ZWeig. Jacob WasSerman,
Thomas Mann, who were great IA
vorlteS here, are now banned as be-
ing degenerate. Approved Nazi
writers-Hans Falada. Ernst VIE
ebert, Ernest Won Solomon are not
vet well known here, though
French publishers III Paris have been
asked to do their best to remedy
this
The French of 1871 read a lot
With thousands of town dWeilers
now living in the country because
fOod supplies are so much easier
there, the lack of any good new
hlms, or any other diversions, nights
are long. This explains why, though
there are no prominent new writers,
there Is practically boom in the
book industry this Christmas.
MOntaigne Having Big Sale.
Among classics. Montaigne's
Essays are having a tremendous
sale. as also DescarteS 'Discours de
la Methode" and Pascal's "Pensees. -"
During September II 900 copies of
the Essays were sold. each COPY
costing frs l25, which for the aver
age French reader is the limit in
extravaganza. These figures are
given by Paul Morand in his re-
Gently published CHRONICLES Of the
Thin Mana singularly appropri-
ate title for a modern French book.
Classics are so much in demand
that publishers have resurrected
certain books which have been out
OF print for many years. This is
what Bernard Grasset did with
Montesquleus Gathers which
we're republshed this year for the
first time since 1875. Everybody
knew that Montesouieus manu-
scripts were preserved in the Cha
teau de la Brede. near Bordeaux.
but GraSset so advertised the re-
print that some readers believed II
was recent discovery. and the
whole thing nearly turned into a
literary myStlflcation.
Escapist Reading.
The thin Frenchman of 194l un-
like his replete brother of 1889. is
primarily an eScapist. Thus history
runs the classics and the Anglo
Saxon authors a close second in
book sales. French writers are
learning the trick of neat biog-
raphles on sufficiently remote his
torlcal personages who lived in
troubled periods similar to the pres
ent one. A biography by Foucques
Duparc of the Duke de Richie
lieu, who negotiated the liberation
of France after the Nspoleonic de-
bacle, Is best seller. Another on
Colbert, Louis XIV's finance min
ister. who had difficult davs with
his kings budget, by c. J. Gignoux.
Z Is also selling we'll. Books on Henry
III, the last Valois king. who first
relgned over Poland, but preferred
France, by Honore Champion. and
on Louis XI by Rene Gandilhon.
are also good library successes.
Third on the list of French favor
ties are books on nature Or animals
The French seem to have developed
recently a literary sense for animals
and nature, which up to now was
more or less an Anglo-Saxon pre-
rOgative. The most successful book
on nature is Fernand Leouenne S
Mon Ami le Jardin." sort of prose
poem to nature. This little book
also contains details and hints con-
corning the kitchen garden side. at
tractive for gardening neophytes
Grey Owls books are also tops here
this year with good translations of
Tales Of an Empty Cabin" and
Pilgrims of the Wild"
Balzac and Proust Come Back.
French readers also favor poetry
or descriptions of life in France as it
was when people ate, drank and
we're merry. Charles Peguy, who
was killed in the Battle of the
Marine, 1914. and whose poems
Chiefly about nature and the good
earth of France, are blessed by the
new regime, is enjoying considerable
success. The French are also re-
discovering Balzacs Scenes de la
Vie de Province and Proust's "A
la Recherche du Temps Perdu." In
the soul of many French readers
there is nostalgia for the past.
Despite his leaning to the classics.
I the present-day French reader
doesn't approve of long stories when
French modern books are concerned.
He likes short, vivid narratives
which cover his present preoccupa-
! tions-"Why did we lose?" What
are our prisoners doing?" rs Nazi-
ism better than democracy?" Few
of the recent French publications
exceed $50 pages instead of prewar
$50 pages, both because of the short
age of paper and because this is the
length the readers like.
The war has produced few books
of real value and France is still
! awaiting a great war book like
Roland Dorgeles "Croix de Bois" or
BarbusSe's "Feu." The censorship
has something to do with this. To
be read in both zones. new books
must satisfy both the German cen
sors in Paris and the French ones
in Lyons. This somewhat cuts
mans style.
Censors' Points of View Vary.
The censors in the two zones have
not always the same point of view.
German censors, for instance. pro-
hibited the sale in Paris of the Me
mortal de France" book describing
some war deeds of French soldiers.
The free zone censors are more
severe than the Paris ones about
books on prisoners camps. as they
consider that these might unduly
depreSs prisoners relatives.
Among new war books, only two
have met with genuine success. Jean
de Baroncelli's 20 Homes" printed
by Grasset in the free zone and Guy
I TDoc CorS "I IOf1rier So,c No,,, ;,