Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1944-12-03
Ronsord-His Life
And Times
By D. B. Wyndham Le10is
(CoUdrd- Mccain. $780,
Reviewed by RUTH DEAN.

Reviewed by RUTH DEAN.
The author Of "Villon" has scored
another literary triumph in Ron
sard." From the first page to the
last, Lewis dedicates himself with
painstaking and scholarly effort to
reporting with eyewitness" accur-
acy the most intimate details of the
poets life.
Lewis devotes the greater part of
his book, however, to background
material So successfully does he
capture the color, the strife and
the culture that was the Rennai-
sance, and so we'll does he integrate
his character portrait into this
background, that the two are insepa-
rable. He carefully avoids the error
many biographers commit in setting
character apart from his times.
First, we see the young Ronsard,
an odd, Catholic and neo-Pagan
paradox, ardent, hot blooded,
charming, singing the praises of his
Cassandre, Marie, or Helene, IA
vorite of the French court, and
already the leader of the elite PIE
Jade, and the reigning poet of
France. The picture changes with
Ronsard's advancing years. His be-
loved France is torn asunder with
threatening civil war. The Calvin
lists have revolted; royalty has re-
taliated with the bloody St. Bar
tholomew's Day massacre. AS Lewis
stresses with amazingly timely en-
phasis: "Ronsard's cry for him
self and stricken France in the
1560s is the cry of one shocked into
sanity and facing the eternal veri-
ties, and it Is echoing in stricken
France at this moment" Recent
events have changed the ominous
ring of these last words, but not
enough for the rest of the world to
be out of danger. This is Ronsards
message" for this age, Lewis feels
The fact that France, tired of i'm
preSsioniSt and dadaist trends, is re-
claiming Ronsard from centuries of
| oblivion should indicate, the author
says, that our bloody and ugly"
age finds much in common with the
bloody and beautiful Ronsardian
era.
Lewis has written this biography
in beautiful, lucid style, easy and
entertaining to read. In the hands
of a less skillful writer, the book
might easily become an annotated.
cumbersome bundle of details that
would prove tedious to a reader un-
prepared for SO concentrated
wealth OF information. Lewis, how
ever, brings to his narrative a unity
that allows for many deviations,
which enhance rather than detract
from the main text of his story.
Carl
By Aler Melancon. (The Mac
milan Co. ST.
Reviewed by
MALCOLM LAMBORNE, Jr,
There is new name to be added
to the list Of "superboys" in fiction.
Hard on the heels of Huck Finn,
Tom Sawyer, Penrod and the rest
is the newcomer, a heart-warming.
lovable youngster by the name of
Carl Blomquist. Perhaps Carl, with
his blue eyes, snub nose and self
styled tan-colored hair, will appeal
more to grownups than his con-
temporaries. But there could hardly
be boy alive who will not admire
and envy the Louisiana bayou lad
who found himself inland worked
himself out-of more situations than
most of us could dream Of.
Carl decided to adopt" a soldier
for the duration and in order to
keep his morale up sent him weekly
letters wherever the soldier hap
pened to be. His choice of Alex
Melancon was wise one. for the
author, a former feature writer for
the New Orleans Times Picayune,
saw the real worth in Carl and
decided to do a book on him. Melan-
cons irresistible young hero cannot
help but endear himself to every one
who knows and loves some special
little boy.