Evening star., 1949-07-10

Not long ago q hlgn RUSSIAN
officer. who spoke at q writer's
in Berlin. blasted the
Army's publishing efforts in Ger
many, pointing to the absence Of
Caldwell and Faulker on their lists
as evidence that the whole thing
was "capitalistic. imperialistic in
filtration" If that same officer Is
looking around for words to eat.
these will do. for any day now,
thanks to ECA. Germans In Allied
zones will be able to find Caldwell
and Faulker on the shelves OF
their bookstores.
The ECA book program, which
was created as a private enter
prise supplement to State Depart
ment information enterprises, is
designed to encourage the flow OF
American books to European
countries. 1t operates under an
authorized fund of $10.000.000
which it uses to convert into dol
lars local currency accruing to
American publishers who sell
books abroad.
A marked GOODNESS on the part
Of publishers with profits on their
minds and Of European govern
ments who wanted tractors more
than culture. greeted the launch
ing Of q program. Now, however,
q year after its inception, the
project is getting under way. Fiji
teen American publishers will
send over $4,000 worth Of
books to Europe in the next six
months. Ninety-five per cent Of
the business will be done In Ger
many.
Walking the Tight Rope.
The act requires ECA officials
to send material which will re-
fleet the best elements in Amer
lean life and at the same time
makes no provision for censor
ship. Walking the tight rope be-
tween esthetic and Americana"
considerations. they have risked
criticism by including the works
Of such reform" novelists as
Steinbeck. Dos Passos. Caldwell.
Faulkner and James T. Farrell.
The Army's celebrated refusal
to buy translation rights to Far
rell's Studs Lonigan" for German
publishers did not influence ECA's
decision to allow Pocket Books,
one Of three low-price reprint
houses which entered the pro-
gram this spring, to export the
book. They feel that Farrell is
an established American novelist
Of good reputation who writes Of
dreary social conditions like
many other of our native writer's
and that they balance his picture
Of the seamy side Of Chicago life
with such rousing, popular Amer
icana as Edna Ferber's "Cim-
arron."
Sidney Mellen, consultant Of
the program. figures 1t this way.
"Faulkner's books are on sordid
subjects. But he Is considered
one Of our finest writer's and so
must be considered one Of the
best elements in American life."
The act was recently amended
to give q small measure of profit
to participating publishers, who
began to follow each other into
the project when they realized
that . whole new market was
opening up to them. Prestige and
long-range gains rather than i'm
mediate profits are at stake. The
Macmillan Co. has made its
entire list Of $4,000 titles avail
able. many Of them on technical
subjects which are much in de-
mand. They are one Of 10 pub
fishers who retain full-time Eu-
ropean representative in Stock
holm. Reprint publishers have
been going over In increasing
numbers to peddle their wares. AS
q result Of such . trip one pub
Usher Is sending . consignment
of books to the Netherlands.
England and France are re-
claiming their own publishing
business. and countries with any
dollars at all deal directly with
American book firms.
Publishers have shown an Ad-