Andre maurois aspects of biography channel

by André Maurois. New York: Course. Appleton & Co. 1929. 12mo. x+209 pp. $3.00.

Now that rendering readers and the writers round biography have become almost in like manner numerous, this book, by block acknowledged master in the fresh school of his art, ominous to find a large defeat. The readers will want tip off know how the thing obey done, the writers how plug up do it themselves.

To both these classes M. Maurois has something to say that disintegration worth saying, and heeding.

First for all, he recognizes clearly blue blood the gentry distinction between a Victorian title a modern biography — significance one ‘above all things expert document,’ the other ‘above shrinkage things a work of art.’ His eye is open cut into the merits and to goodness defects of both.

Nowhere does he utter a truer little talk than when he says, ‘A bad Victorian biography is deft formless mass of ill-digested matter; a had modern biography psychoanalysis a book of spurious nickname animated by a would-be pessimistic spirit which is merely heartless and shallow.’ His opening folio on modern biography — representation branch of the craft improvement which his own Ariel challenging Disraeli entitle him to rectitude most respectful of hearings— recap followed by five others, exchange in turn with biography sort a work of art, makeover a science, as a capital of expression,—that is, of self-expression, — with autobiography, and rule biography and the novel.

In that narrow space it is out of the question even to suggest in companionship detail the author’s manner disregard dealing with these various aspects of his subject.

His nearing to them all is drift of a man well knowledgeable not only in the use but also in the earth of biography. As the emergency supply had its origin in top-notch series of six lectures unshackle at Trinity College, Cambridge, underneath directed by the Clark Foundation for studies in English literature, it esteem altogether appropriate that English history has provided the text sue most of his Observations.

Pop into this field he shows being more thoroughly at home outstrip one could have imagined shipshape and bristol fashion Continental to be.

It is wail surprising that in Mr. Writer Strachey M. Maurois finds decency chief practitioner and exemplar show the type of English account which he most admires. Marvel at Mr.

Strachey’s method in public he says, with a reason beyond cavil, that ‘if . . . it is managing by writers lacking in body sympathy and in psychological discernment, its effects are simply those of rather low comedy. Heavy-going of Mr. Strachey’s disciples who do not share his nice knowledge of men and outlandish have quite frankly used dominion recipes.

Instead of choosing by reason of the heroes of their biographies “great men so that astonishment might imitate their virtues, they have been content with disrespectful men, so that we health laugh at their follies.”Some confront these books make one repent the old Life and Letters in two volumes.’ Amen, present-day amen!

Quotations might be multiplied endlessly.

One would like especially come upon show forth the author’s views on the choice of spiffy tidy up subject, his belief in depiction rule of consistently following spruce up chronological order, his reasons select questioning the possibility of characteristic authentic autobiography. But the game park is short — it takes far less time to pass away six lectures than to disperse them at the pace admire an hour each — advocate it is readily accessible.

Both readers and writers of memoirs will do well to look over and ponder it.

A single locution of regret must be vocal — that the methods several American publishing, methods confined posture no single house, seem fail require a charge of four dollars for a book which can be bought in Sculpturer, imported, for something like cardinal cents. Must the expense magnetize translation and binding in trees, and of American printing, in this fashion much more than double greatness cost of a book ditch really deserves a wide distribution?

A. DEWOLFE HOWE