Evening star., 1954-01-17
Reading and Writing
American Letters
Of the Decade

BY Mary McGrory

from Gerald w. Johnson, him.
self q historian and biogra-
pher.
The courtly little gentleman
from Baltimore gave historians
and biographers Of the last 10
years IA" for effort II not al
ways for performance. Con-
Sidering the era-he called it
"hysterical. confused and per-
ilous"-he thinks they have
shown commendable honesty,
sound craftsmanship and "be-
meath all the surface disturb
anceS. q remarkable inner
serenity"
Deoth Of Great Writing
Burnt children because they
failed to gauge accurately the
menace Of Hitler at the time.
today's chroniclerS show q
fearful timidity about omit
ting anything from their ac-
countS-"what they strike out
may latsr prove to be the very
warhead Of the movement with
which they DEAL"
"Pardonable though 1t may
be-" said Mr.. johnson, this
inevitably makes for q prolix-
ity that is the death Of great
writing"
Mr.. johnson does think
that the historical and bio
graphical output from 1943 to
1853 has proved an important
point beyond a shadow of a
doubt. That is. that democ-
racy as a form of government
is thoroughly established, to
the extent, indeed. that it has
not had q serious defender
these past 10 years.
THE American sc holar
would as soon think of enter
ing a passionate defense of
the law Of gravitation," Mr..
johnson said. with obvious
satisfaction.
Poet Peter Viereck
Speaking for poetry last
Monday night. Poet Peter
Viereck saw reason to be both
pleased and hopeful. He ad-
dressed an audience much
thinned by fear Of the great
snow. His remarks were some
what less controversial than
readers Of his recent Shame
and Glory Of the Intellectuals"
had expected. but they were
stimulating all the same.
Mr.. Viereck, who won the
Pulitzer Prize in Poetry for
Terror and Decorum" and
who now teaches history at
Mount Holyoke College. thinks
that in the past 10 years
poetry has become poetry
again.
Its dalliance with politics
and reform. its fruitless exper-
imentation with free verse
forms are over. according to
him. What is taking place
now Is return to technical
control and to song. He named
Karl Shapiro. Robert Lowell.
Theodore Roetheke and Rich
ard Wilbur as young poets who
exemplify the change.
The rasping didactics of the
'30s and the hopelessly free
verse are a thing Of the past.
says Mr.. Viereck. who in his
own poetry strives for intricate
form and "full-throated lyri-
cism." And. finally, ethics and
poetry, estranged for many
years. are now reconciled. Both
in technique and in content.
the outlook for modern poetry
is very bright.
Poper-Boek Poetry
Parenthetically, Mr.. Viereck
noted that it is the publishers
Of the soft-cover books who
are showing the most adven-
turous spirit in the publishing
Of poetry. He cited the an
thologies Of New World Writ
ing as examples of their will
ingness to take a chance on
books not sure to scale the
best-seller lists.
Gberion Laureate
The Ambassador of Liberia
entertained at a literary tea
last Monday night. and with
good reason. Guest of honor
was the poet laureate of Lii
IBERIA, who turns out to be a
gentleman from Oklahoma.
Prof. M. D. Tolson of
Langston University.
Mr.. Tolson enjoys this
unique distinction (surely he
is the first poet to be laureate
Of country he has never even
SEEM by virtue Of having won
IN 1947 the National Poetry
Prize Of the American Negro
Exposition. At the same time.
1t being the year Of the Lii
berian centennial, he was
commissioned to write a poem
celebrating Liberia. After five
years Of work. which included
the reading Of 500 books. the
poem, an epic. Is ready. En-
titled "Libretto for the Lii
berian Republic" it will be
published January ~.
The author. who is professor
of creative literature at
Langston and director of the
Dustbowl Players. is now at
work on an epic of Harlem,
which he thinks will run to
three or four volumes. He was
born in Missouri and attended
schools in Independence,
where he knew a famous fell
low citizen, ex-PreSident
Harry 8. Truman.