Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-08-12

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is published this week. 1t is
called
BITTER HONEYMOON AND
OTHER STORIES. tFarrar.
Straus and Cudahy; $780,
The book is decidedly inter-
esting, not only for the stories
themselves. but because they
disclose Mr.. Moravia's way of
writing this difficult form of
fiction.
These eight stories, chosen
by the author in collaboration
with the publisher, all are fair
ly long. Some could be called
novelettes, or, as the Italians
would term them, novellas.
And yet, it seems to me, none
is condensed novel. All are in
the classic tradition of the
short story, though they are
influenced by m ID ernistic
trends of writing and embody
much of the philosophy which
is found in Mr. Moravia's
novels.
In Various GuiSeS
AS in the novels, these stories
are concerned with love-love
in various guises, ranging from
its more idealistic form to
mere physical desire. Sex, you
might say. is a unifying theme
running through the book,
and yet it is manifested as
variously as the characters
differ from one another. There
are some frank scenes, and yet
somehow Mr.. Moravia never,
at least in these stories. de-
sends to the Topographic. He
does not seek the sensual for
Its own sake, but to explain
depths in the persons in
volved-psychological blind al
leys, Embellishments, frustra-
tons.
While he is little concerned
with the moral aspects of the
situations he describes, he
manages to be candid in a way
that should not offend readers
who are so concerned or those
who object to the Sordid and
the vulgar on esthetic grounds.
Characters Stay Alive
AS a short story writer, Mr..
Moravia is less interested in
producing dramatic effects
than in drawing character.
This trait lifts these stories far
above average short stories, in
which characters are built
around episodes or develop
ments rather than the other
way around. When you finish
one of these stories, you re-
member the. main character
rather than the details of at
mosphere and action; some
times two characters. This is
a rare and difficult achieve
ment IN this form.
On the other hand. the
author does not shun drama.
Some of his stories, like THE
lmbroglio," in which a Singu-
larry naive youth falls prey
to an adventures, are spun
out to a dramatic climax.
He never contents himself
with painting a mood or an
incident and letting it go at
that. He does not like the
dangling, indefinite ending so
popular with our little maya
zines and some of our larger
magazines with literary pre-
tensions. Even when not much
happens in a Moravia story.
you end it with a definite idea
of the character and where
he is headed.
Frustrated Lives
In this collection Mr..
Moravia describes men and
women whose love life is
thwarted, ill-expresSed or en-
tirely frustrated for one reason
or another.
In the title story. Bitter
Honeymoon. the wedding trip
of the couple is beset by all
sorts of difficulties, inward and
outward. The island is dashed
by the sirocco. the hot winds
from the South. And the bride
groom is tormented by failure
to understand his bride, who
is an active worker in the
Communist Party. He not only
has no sympathy for COM
but is not interested
in politics. And yet he loves
her.
"A Sick Boys Winter" de-
Scribes a youth who shares a
room in a sanatorium with an
older man. a man of the world
who taunts the boy with his
inexperience. The boy resolves
to seduce a young English girl,
a patient whom he visits regu-
larly. His motive is to impress
the older man and to feel he
has grown up at last.
Tho other ctpriaS diHorit,u