Evening star., 1943-10-17
mt Books
By Mary-C arfer Roberts,.

credible misinformation, evidence OF
an astounding ignorance OF condi-
tions in the United States which,
incidentally, has been Countess
Waldeck's adopted country for some
years.
On the refugees in our midst, she
Is, for example, informative. These
are the Germans whom we know
best. OF course. and among us they
speak with authority on German
conditions. Countess Waldeck, her
self Jewish. reminds us that over
80 per cent of these people are
Jews who were not in political life
at all, but fed simply to escape
Nazi persecution, and that the Jews
constituted less than ! per cent Of
the German population. The refu-
gees, she says. therefore are not a
representative political cross-section
OF German society.
On the other hand, she manifests
such dazzling ignorance OF our own
psychology that she can state with
bland authority that we, as a Ma
ton, cherish an indulgent affection
for Hermann Goering and, when we
see his picture in newsreels, "chuckle
with delight" The American peo-
pie, she says, obviously refuse to
believe that such a fat man can
be bad"
She winds up by saying that 1t
would be q good trick for Germany
to 60 communist after losing the
war, since that would make it i'm
possible for the United Nations to
wreak punishment, would lead to
the sovietization of Europe's small
nations with Germany as their
leader and automatically put Ger
many in the position of dominant
continental power again. There is
a quite perceptible smugness in the
way in which she breaches this
idea.
The reviewer would not say that
the book is likely to do harm. On
the contrary. it demonstrates,
though probably unintentionally, a
certain kind of European mentality
with which we ought to be familiar.
Kothrine
By Hans Habe. Translated
from the German by Harry
Hansen. Viking Press.)
This is workmanlike version OF
that theme dearly beloved by fic-
tioneers Of all times-the story OF
the heart of a great courtesan.
1t is we'll constructed and executed
it can be read with attention. But
the heroine, like so many Of her
fictional sisters, depends for her
greatness on the authors word
rather than on his portrayal. TIC
the reader, she is apt to seem merely
scheming female whose very
scheming is limited by an extraor-
dinarily narrow point of view.
Kathrine is an Austrian of hum
BILE family who, in early youth. COM
mits an indiscretion and hence
forth thinks of herself as outside
the social pale. This convenien,
limitation makes it, in her view, in
escapable that she lead an immora,
life. So she sells herself to a pro-
ceSsion of wealthy men, making hel
choice always for mercenary con-
siderations alone In middle life
she becomes the mistress of a grea.
French industrialist, and the plor
of Mr.. Habe's book is of how she
schemes to bring about a marriage
between her own daughter and hel
lovers son. Nobody concerned
wants the marriage. but Kathrins
brings it of, and the results are
terrible. Then Mr.. Habe, who OBJ.
viously understands the traditions
of courtesan fiction, winds up BY
telling his readers that his heroine
is noble creature with a tragic
destiny. The book is a trade piece
no more. though performed on 8
somewhat higher level.