The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1952-08-23
Key Books
BY A. dc T. cinsrss

A writer's lmaglnauon Is pro-
foundry affected by any philosophy
or religion which permeates his
childhood or adult life.
Critic O'Donnell discusses the
imaginative patters in the work of
eight modern Catholic writer's :.
Francois Mauriac, George Ber-
nanos, Graham Greene, Sean
O'Faolain, Evelyn Waugh, Paul
Claudel, Leon Bloy and Charles
Peggy. It is interesting and signi-
ficant to note that none Of these
writer's is an American.
The story shows how the Cath
ole version Of the cross shapes the
stories which these men write.
Readers who know the authors or
the religious philosophy discussed
may or may not like what he has to
say. They may not agree with this
particular reviewer that what has
happened to the imaginative pat
terms Of these writer's ID not a
healthy thing. But they will be
keenly interested in Mr.. O'Don-
neIl's brilliant consideration Of the
writer's imagination.
After an individual discussion Of
the work Of each Of the eight
writer's, Mr.. O'Donnell sums up
his conclusions in the last section
of the book. First, the title of the
book maria Cross II the name
of a character in Francois Mauric's
LIE Desert de L'Amour". She Is
a kept woman, the mistress OF .
wealthy wine merchant, Victor
Larousselle. The author explains
his title in Leon Bloy's words,
woman Is the cross" and then
Celebrates on the theme.
An important and unmistakable
resemblance in the work Of all OF
these writers is the presence OF
both the cross and corruption.
Francois Mauriac himself does not
deny the corruption" ....but am /
sure that I, too, cannot detect that
element prowling over my work, In
the way it prowls over cemeteries
which are nevertheless dominated
by the CROSSE" Mr.. O'Donnell says:
90. corruption and the cross
are for the Catholic the two cen
trail facts, the point where they
come together is the Redemption
when Christ on the cross bore the
sins of the world. We should ex
pect, therefore, to find in al
imagination permeated by Catholic
ism, that the two ideas would b.
related In q far more Fundamental
sense than they are In Mauriac'
suggestive but histrionic image o
| the cemetery. To what extent d
we find such q relationship in tn
work Of the eight Catholic writer
whom we have been considering?'
i A sense Of exile is another striknl
common feature Of all the imagina
tive patterns of these writer's. Tn
world so far as It is modern ant
rational is alien to them all. Som
are exiled from the ancient regime
some from the world Of their child
hood, but mostly the place Of exil'
Is a mental atmosphere rather thar
an. historical period.
Then the critic explains In tn
last few paragraphs that the exil'
and female cross are more or les
cumbrous intellectual approx
nations to an emotional truth
which Is not to be pinned dow
to words
Is. at the same time It 1
only by the attempt to pin it down
by the continual reshuffling Of tina
greasy pack Of cards, our vocab,
larry, that we have q chance Of col
sciously experimenting somethin
Of this truth. In the present cas-
II the reader perceives, througl
what has clumsily been stated,
certain marked community Q
feeling In these writer's socke
ready to receive the cross tn
approximations have served thei
purpose and the scaffolding Cal
be removed. :"
(THE AMERICAN FISHERMAN
GUIDE, selected and edited b.
Bill Bueno, introduction by e,
Zern, published by Prentice-Hall
Inc. New York City, $40 pages.
II Nobody can learn to fish wit
this book or any other. but an.
fisherman viii be able to do ,
lot of very pleasant fireplace an,
hammock fishing with the volume
And il he Il q fisherman who Ia
q little experience In fresh waite
fishing he WIN find information
which win mean Q fuller cree
for him. And given a. . birthda.
or Christmas gift, the book vii
probably have oil the charm o
travel folders or . detective move
to keep q male member Of th
household occupied in vicariou
fishing.
Forty three writer's On fishin,
have contributed articles. In
editor IN the first part has hi
fishing experts discuss fish In gen
eral and how they live. He then In
still other writers discuss fishin
without hooks and the meaning q
such fascinating things as guddlin
and noodling. tickling trout an
gigging for suckers.