Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 26 July 1947 — Page 8

Reconversion——

Tardy Book

Richard Phenix. New York,

Tells Problem — . . g |] - : 2 (A Regular Weekly Feature of The Times) Of Ex-Gl S . ‘ ; WwW. "ON MY WAY HOME." By -

L. White's Book Tells 3 How World Might Have Been

“REPORT ON THE GERMANS * SZ™™ as a 0. By W. L. White, New York ages MY, Mince Harcourt, Brace, $3. - $I | RT Ca By RICHARD LEWIS | Ge. oo W. L. White's “Report on the Germans” Js a wistful vista of the | ss postwar world that might have | sews ¥ « been, * 1k ; His thesis is that the uncondi-' tional surrender policy was wrong, that the allies could have toppled thie Hitler regime in 1944 if they'd a mind t6, that Churchill was right --we should have invaded via the Balkans and finally, that the Ger-

oh

[P. lt “

Sloane, $3.

ceptively simple book. First of all, it's an unsensational

abroad, to Rico in 1940, finally as a captain 'in the signal corps in England and cryptography. i

his junior year (too many extra[curricular activities) just before he ‘enlisted. Whatever “experience,” in the technical, job-hunting sense of that term, he had was thus army

“ON MY WAY HOME"-is a de-|

He had flunked out of college in e : . FICTION CRAFTSMAN-—The late Booth Tarkington, three

WHO'S TO BLAME—W. L. White, whose new book, "Report on the Germans,” treats the vexing question of war uilt

6 From This City

mans aren't such bad people after all, Toe, 2 In between a good deal of dialog and monolog about how Germans really didn't want war and actually didn't approve of Hitler at all; there are some pleasant reminiscences of Europe after the first world war and a list of the mistakes we are making there now, » » ” ON THE SUBJECT of Germans, Mr, “White’ presents an extended apology for the conduct of our late enemies in the recent matter of their extermination of eight million

WESTERN LANDSCAPE — "'Anastacio's House,“ by Theodore Van Soelen, one | of 14 pictures in the Encyclopaedia Britannica's second anrtial rotating selection of paintings. Formed to augment the publishing company's main collection of contémporary American paintings, this season's selection is devoted entirely t6 the work of. western artists.

New Collection of Maugham Short Stories Will Delight Admirers of His Formula ~~

| "CREATURES. OF CIRCUMSTANCE." By W. Somerset Maugham. New York, Doubleday, $2.75. :

|experience. . :

” . | AND SO after his discharge at {Camp Crowder, Mo., in 1945, the question arose: What, if anything, .'had the army fitted him for? His book, published somewhat tardily, it would seem, sticks to the subject. It's one man's story of finding his bearings in an unfa- « millar civilian world. | With the car he had luckily put !in storage during his overseas service, and with his severante pay, he started westward from Camp

{

Enroll in Course

Times Special : ~CHICAGO, July 26~8ixIndian~

people, twice the total population of Indiana) and other unseemly| °

acts, Tike starting the second world | with a Bev volime

By HENRY BUTLER What is the secret of W. Somerset. Maugham's success? Now-—is- 4 good--time—to—ralse—the—guestion—since—Mr-—Maugham— of short stories entitled “Creatures of

apolis residents are enrolled in the Great Books leadership ~ourses currently being conducted at Chicago university. if _ The courses, destgned to leaders for the Great Books dis-

cussion groups which will be ex- |

War, The technique of this report ap{pears to be an extension of the [Gallup Poll. Mr. White presents a

train handful of Germans who all man-

“Well, {what about it, Fritz?” with the reply,

[fully answer the question,

tended to rural areas next fall, are “How would we know?”

sponsored by the Great Books Foundation. Lynn A. Williams Jr.

of Indianapolis, vice president’ of [in Germany really wanted war, Published book. Btewart-Warner Corp., Is president’ Everybody felt ashamed of the ex- | [termination of Jews and dissenters. |

of the foundation. he

Fritz Is just a little sad it happened, Mr. White reports. Nobody

| appears

I

§

story of a veteran's return from an | unsensational army career, hereand| {

Richard Phenix spent five years in ; the army, first as a private in Per

Europe, doing non-combat work in,

oy

of whose short novels have ust been published for the first time in book form by Doubleday under the title, 'Thrae Selected Short Novels by Booth Tarkington."

Suburbs Provide Background For Tarkington Novels

York, Doubleday, $3. A recurrent theme in Booth Tarkington's novels is loss of wealth. That theme was important in “The Magnificent Ambersons” over 26 years ago, and more recently in “The Heritage of Hatcher-Ide.” It recurs in. “Uncertain Molly Collicut” and “Rennie Peddigoe,” two of the “Three Selected Short Novels” just published by Doubleday. Previously published in abridged form in magazines, the novels make

‘|Crowder, looking for work, looking | still more for the kind of work he'd! —ike-eventually -to-settle—in.-

their first appearance in a

k EE REA RE 1) ‘the second volume of Mr. Tarking- | Larkington evidently used com- : | posite characters.

“THREE SELECTED SHORT NOVELS." By Booth Tarkington: New

ton's writings to appear since his

| Circumstance.” = | In a preface, “The Author Exouses Himself,” Mr. Maugham refers to the preface of his last short-story volume, “The Mixture as Before,* which appeared just before the war, | - . - ; IA typographical error, he says, report, to explain. 1 am writihg [made his statement “I shall not stories, not philosophy or theology.” | write many more stories” in the| Mr. Maugham’s literary reputaloriginal manuscript ‘read “I shall tion grew enormously in the postinot- write any more stories” in the world war I period. His mgthod of { |approach to human problems fitled en» |the-era. His quiet, reticent sophistiTHAT STATEMENT, as printed, cation struck discriminating readers

2.

“TS ~dugdianapolis students in the cur- | Nothing could be done "because it stuck in my mind, if only because iL @s more impressive than noisy, self-

rent courses are™ Hallle P, Myers, | 401 Tractioa Terminal bldg.: James | P. Tretton Jr, 214 Traction Terminal pldg.; Henyy L. Drake, 320 E. 38th st.; Eleanor J. Hazen, 527 W. 46th st; Mrs. Beanett H, Kraft, Indiana state library, and Mrs. A. J. Campbell, Indiana state library.

Bantam Books Add 6 New Titles to List

“The Bells of 8t. Mary's,” a novelization of Dudley Nichols’ screen play by George Victor Martin, has been added to the Bantam books 25cen; series, <2 Other new title in the Bantam col- } include “TY Cautious Amorist.” by Norman Lindsay; “The Problem of the Green Capsulé,” by

was the Nazis who did it all. And nobody seems to be a Nazl, > nM ONE OF MR. WHITE'S contrite Germans is a man he calls Schultz. At 14, Schultz was busy nalling swastlkas on synagogues, The ebullient youth grows up to be a publicity man for Goebbels. After the war, he explains to the author he has learned he was a pawn of fate. Schultz, concludes Mr. White, was trapped into that kind of life as a result of hating his father who was a stufy old, social democrat, “This,” says Mr. White, “is the story of an average member of the human race.” Pw Another “average member,” an 88 captain, is recorded explaining how he also got trapped into the thing

John Dickson Carr; “Range Rider,”

by W. H. B. Kent; “Assignment|and that's why he executed 100 | ©f what you do. My business is to got religion, so to Without Glory,” by Marcos Spinelly, | Poles as they were leaving a movie. !

and “Powder Valley Pay-Off,” by Peter Field,

¢ ¢ 0.4

[It's just life, the author explains. | Mr. White's Germans are just {plain folks who tried to make a living and in the process unwittingly {brought about the destruction of

| about 14 million people, all told, and

{seemed an untimely swan song. centered, exhibitionistic sophistica{Surely Mr. Maugham would have tion, which for a time was | some more yarns, | fashionable. {As it turns out, he did, and here | are some of them in “Creatures of Circumstance.”

STORY-TELLER—W. Somerset Maugham, whose intelligence, industry and skill are apparent in his new volume of short stories, ''Creatures of

8 8a HERE WAS a new "attitude for intelligent youngsters, who had Jost "faith". in an older .gencration’s Y |values, to imitate. If you could to Mr. Maugham 5/look at people with slightly amused (popularity, . It conveys a Kind of|islerance, with no surprise at their

| The title of the new volume may {offer one clue

$f 8 | THE “WESTWARD” is significant. | “Whoever wrote about anybody going eastward, to Maine or Vermont, for example, to make his fortune? From | Horace Greeley to Hollywood, the, | West has been in our blood. | | His first stop is Salt Lake City, | where he gets a job whose pay inIcludes room and board, working for a Mr. Wiseman, salvager of usable |junk from the city’s dump: From { Mr. Wiseman, as from subsequent | employers, he learns simple, prac{tical things. He unlearns army ‘ways, acquires self-confidence. He ‘learns to face the most painful reality of civilian life—its hostile atti{tude when you're broke. In the larmy, you always had food and | shelter, and you could borrow from {buddies if youd lost your pay in a 'crap game, .

| “Walterson,” the novel beginning a un {the book, is the story of an exIN THE SOCIETY Mr. Tarking- (remely able magazine editor deton habitually depicted, wealth was féated by jealous mathinations of important, not as an end in itself, | Dis wife and her brother. but as a means to an end and as a | symbol. ‘People either had money | Sah gry Hey Mag moe. ‘the magazine into ultimate failure.

how did they acquire it and how | . 2 8 a\ recently did they acquire it? | ALL THREE short novels dem-

Loss of money meant’ loss of caste. |ODstrate again Tarkington's keen It meant the end of activities €ar for dialog, especially young deemed secially vital, such as en- People’s talk. Tarkington had a tertaining with no thought of econ- 10 finer technique than some omy. So in Mr, Tarkington's di- Critics have admitted. His techverting stories of people and man- |Rique was unobtrusive, and hence ners, the bank statement, though |SOmetimes escaped notice. : unseen, exerts an influence com-| It is a mistake to criticize Tarkparable to that of the heavenly ington for not writing “powerful” register of good and evil in the novels, as has been said at times. minds of pious people. * |What he did, he did well. And Molly, in “Uncertain Molly Colli- |if his stories are predominantly

death.

When they inherit the magazine property

force Walterson out and re-vamp

from Walterson’s father<in-law, they =

{deadpan attitude towards Duman | comerimes fantastic misbehavior and {beings. That attitude combines in-|wiih no zeal to reform them, then | [terest in people's behavior with |e, were on the way to becoming | what seems comparative indiffer- | yor q1y wise. lence towards the moral implications| . mya earlier Aldous Huxley had

of people's behavior: | something of the same cynical tol-

4 un » (erance. But Mr. Huxley also had | MAUGHAM BEEMS to be saying, | repressed zeal for ceform, which! |“I am interested in what you do came out in satire. And after his’ and why you do it. I am not par- remarkable novel, “Eyeless in ticularly concerned with the good- Gaza,” which often seems embarness, the beauty or the social value rassingly autobiographical, Huxley speak, and be{came a propagandist for mystical self-sacrifice. Mr. Maugham seems to have re- | tained his earlier attitude. The! stories in “Creatures of Circum- | stance” diffep only in details of con« tent from most of his previous,

| i

Today and EVERYDAY . ..

Soy it with

_ (tion: Spain, England, France, the | Orient, a cruising tramp steamer {in the Caribbean, is wisely chosen. (Mr. Maugham, who has always

Circumstance." rt mii re Esiimrn “8% %@ writes a sensationally, successful| EX-CAPT. PHENIX goes farther book of love poems. Her husband West, trying such jobs as logging in is puzzled by her success, still more the Sierras, delivering dry-cleaning by grins and gags from his club as-|in San Diego, tending stock in ‘a sociates, until he reads the slender super-market i: Hollywood and volume, The poems set forth, in- mowing lawns and digging garden tensely and unmistakably, the story | in Palo Alto, of an illicit love affair she had .had| He sort of falls in love with a girl some years back. With a punch-|in Hollywood, but leaves town when line conclusion, the story is typical he decides--they both decide — the Grade-A Maugham. time isn't ripe. At the conclusion, _ More intense and not so typical he's about to head back east and is “The Unconquered,” story of a!|fnish college. French country girl violated by &| No dramas, no theatrics — just German soldier during the War. straightforward narrative, with When Hans, the, soldier, finds An-|some admirably clear descriptive nette is pregnant, he falls in love passages. Mr. Phenix has unmistak-

with her and wants to marry her. stay But such is her hatred of the con- Sble.gifts os a whiter, And though

published in September by Viking, | Is said to strike “a refreshing note” in his forthcoming book. According to his publisher, Mr.

cut,” is a flighty, flirtatious, extravagant woman who leads a considerably older husband & merry chase. Then potential tragedy strikes the Collicuts. Ogden Collicut’s partner disappears, after having embezzled heavily from a trust fund. ~~ Ogden believes himself ruined, liable to a prison “sentence. "8.8 THE THREAT of a fate almost worse than death brings Molly to her senses. Over night, she changes from a frivolous wife -and pampering mother to a staunch helpmeet who comforts her husband in his travail and doesn't hesitate to use mild mayhem in 6 quieting her clamorous spoiled brat. When Rennie Peddigoe’s divorced

comedies of manners in a leisureclass setting, with little or no mention of the stark ugliness and injustice that abound in human sos ciety, that's by his own choice.— H. B.

Life of Publisher Ready for Publication

“William Allen White’s America,” by Walter Johnson, editor of “The Selected Letters of William Allen White,” will be published Aug. 14 by Henry Holt & Co. who published the earlier volume. The forthcoming book is described as “the .biography of a section of our history as well gs the | life of a man,” and represents six

ton's stories. So are such tnings as the post-world war I breakdown in decorum. Cocktail parties, flirting, spending money for vulgar dis-

a number of countries. ¥ stories. Their tone remains the his book is simple and sticks to his|father ‘and mother both 1 1! querors that, the very morning her | : ather and mother boin lose all years of research. ; ; . "wn : SH, 1 same. In some of them, Mr. MaUg-| con is born, she takes on iotant | OWA problems, it sums up what their money in an investment-| AT “3 THEY WERE victims of a wéb of A ham uses his device of the first- 40 0 neighboring stream and dro: {must be the biggest reconversion pank failure, they conspire to 4 | Pp : circumstances Hitler wove about person-singular narrator who ob- |; OWIS| broblem of all: the struggles of ale coerce Rennie into marrying a! oax is a run (above le : them when they weren't looking. ! serves the characters of the story, is so 4 laverage G. I. to make his way, to|social upstart, rich young Douglas | When Lippincott advertised “The is, of co : : $9 With Hitler out of the way, nobody present at some critical amoments,, MANY OF THESE stories have find his work after the years lost jn| Hamilton. The fact that Douglas’ |Egg and I” as the “Pullet Surprise - Edmund VLOMWATTS appears to have been responsible. {but is not personally or emotionally appeared elsewhere in magazines. the war. * «+ | father started as a plumber doesn’t | Winner”-on the day that Pulitzer The big question in Mr. White's affected by events, however comic or Their publication in book form | by itself altogether prejudice | Prize winners were announced, the 34th St. (An All- Indianapolis Quartet) _ mind is what will the Germans | tragic, | should delight admirers of the Histo h Se tember Rennie against Douglas, but it sort | NEW York correspondent of the A trio (b think of Hitler 10 years from now. i Nd » , : | Maugham formula ’ ry P {of helps. She prefers Ward | london Daily Telegraph and Morn- (standin At the moment, the Germans tell MR. MAUGHAM'S ndrratog-has ™,, concluding comment: Even| The Great Northwest: A His-|nacaulay, scion of the depression- | Ing Post cabled his editor about it, 9 the correspondent, they don't think luncheon at Claridge’s with a ih ough Mr. Maugham's writings (OY by Oscar O. Winther, assist- wrecked investment bankers. |“Most outrageous pun ever per problems he was so good. beautiful and distressed heroine, °TImay seem deficient in some §uali- (30t professor of history at Indiana | pecpite the fact that her refusal Petrated,” replied the editor. offering, “It is for us to say what the Ger- a gin sling with a potential murderer ties we look for -in great fiction (university, will’ be - published ‘by of Douglas will ‘reduce both par- | eemmmmmii— mans will think of Hitler in 1957," Ina Siigapore club. In a way, thely, “prom has b laimed | KDOPf in September. Prof. ‘Winther | ons to “poverty” (they will have] ANY BOOK Reviewed narrator combines the omniscience ,, ever claimed | poverty yw aye | eviewed on gp Mr hyse. t they can d id of Robert Ripley with the omni.| Net Kind of greatness. He has/COVers the complete story of they, move their cocktail parties to This Page Is Available ’ dot 1h, wheterer they decide to oe présence of Superman. On a sophisti-| 1c cr. P reterified to be more than | Sour according 10 the s50-per-month apartments and 80 1 Malt sue EE, Jlven Prompt ot RY v 3 CLASSICIST-=Charles Alex" cated level, he is a kind of comic. | the excellent craftsman he is. That |P . without chauffeurs, as one’ charac- | STEWART'S Inc ‘ . [ | Maran iey i ie in itself is praiseworthy. ter maliciously observes), Rennie ’ . i ——————————— ander Robinson Jr, protessor book character with whom the read- es), il «4 £. washington st. LLi573 i hev Wi hi " ! «of classics at Brown university:* I instantly identifies himself. re LT has the courage of her feelings. ® 100 E. 34th @ 4217 College Journey ‘Within' Due Oe attire oes or oe sas | Flynn's Now Back Taw ©5539 E Wash. ae Romain = Rolland’s - last book, W'9%@. recently publisheg “Alex rb “ xt re i “ TeRg~ ; . WEALTH, CASTE, the conflict WASHIN “Journey Within,” will be published @nder the Great” is a biog- be here hi es, wing 9 waving To Be Refreshing and gradual truce between “old” Vandenberg Sept. 19 by the Philosophical Li- raphy of the conqueror written rn BI or o the present gc» pq Flynn, whose autobliog- families and “new” families—these rhythm. brary of New York, | for the layman (Dutton, $3.75). |'Oume, the geographical distribu-| .,,ng «youre the Boss,” will be things are momentous in Tarking- And eac

the unbounc couple of hit were rushing tonight and

ima [taken a sensible and profitable view f i EVERY SATURD AY sensivle and pro leW .pynn says, “There are no backs play are all symptoms of the decline y las spending my ng Enoapmercial aspects of WIlt-/into which T wish to bury the liter- | of good, old traditions. Cli make my po 9:4 4 y Mm ether I 0% ary knife. I do not think it wise | \ (NS? Against a background generally the time TI | ° eo Me [5% rar : deciire ' for anyone to write what is con- | NG SDE EG {recognizable as Indianapolis and its SUBURBAN LOANS much they w 7» NN —— hd i he o ine . 8 MI | sidered ‘dirt.’ Poy {northern suburbs, these stories have Central Sates Branch 0 §0 rapidly « : : ! § powers In present | !local interest. It would be rash entra ates bran ffice Me dle / a v v7 a ’ Flowers book, if only because the kind of nar- | : Not: that ' : set - . . however, to attempt identifying in|} indisnspelis, Indiana. Ar 9497 ; i Ww F B M bral x Telegraphed rating Maugham does 1s the kina Austria Story Coming (dividuals or families depicted. Mr. Fi erie rem mts sang! or or INDIANAPOLIS Lo Mm that might keep on indefinitely. As| “Feast of the Jesters,” a new Pi 1289 On You: Dion , CROSSWORD PUZZLE | Mr. Maugham ‘would be first to ad-| novel by Manuel: Komroff, is an- HUCK FINN—One of Bald- ig br mit, he is not a poet. “Of Human nounced for October publication by| na : " : 3:30 P. M. Answer to Previous Pussle | Bondage” may or may not have been Farrar, Straus. The story is set in Ya Howe; Wustrations tor, The Rieke}; shen Famous General HR NNR A LD the product of suffering, but subse- | Austria at the time .of the Con-| ~.°Vo" Ue T nr elases Y tween: hous: J EB Er PTT quent books seem born of intelli- /8ress of Vienna after the Napo- Finn, Mar Se a ha ing off EVERY SU NDAY 7 SiR HE FIM TR gence, industry and skill, rather leonic wars. printed in the Rainbow Classic Say 2S o ‘o HORIZONTAL 3 8epulchral [HAIG IORI than’ the kipd of experience that series of Cleveland $ World Wh faa) THE SUMMER 1 Pictured Civil stone chest LSB MARTIN IEE lends poetic beauty and ethical in- Dividend Selected Publishing Co. With an intro- ference repo: . War militarist, 4 Knight of [RIEIKCLLY SILI TRY sight to writing. “Human Destiny,” by Lecomte du duction by May Lamberton statement) lectrie HOUR" Gen. Stones. ~~ Maria Theresa alt R torerran | Se DOF s a = 'Nouy, published Feb. 14 by Loh Becker, general editor of the RD eo y . go Sor FE ORE ia re MAUGHAM FANS will find fa- mans, Green, 18 & Book-of-thu- Month series, the volume is one of 18 : [Footuring WOODY. MIRMAN, P40GY 168 ore Taclle Samaria REPENTED miliar ingredients in new combina- club dividend selectiori for August reprints of young ‘people's THE HOU ond DAVE BARBOUR'S ORCHESTRA 14 Enliven 6 Indi GLUT IEINSI {tions in “Creatures of Circum-|and September lassi h retaili $! ndian . stance.” T “ | P . classics, each retailing at $1. dollars—it | 15 Interstice 7 Close 27 Diminutive of 45 Any alee. here is “The Colonel's| - - - Pr J, ( . 16 Pause 8 Direction Samuel 46 Outfits Jay, a rangle. he Selleaftac turned my I $ 17 Boat paddles 9 Area ‘measure 28 Self esteem 47 Paradise ie of & retired British officer ' KW b I think T'd } 19 So Fas : 10 Observp 29 Hebrew tribe 48 Sweet —— in — BLOCK S BOO ORM ra mes At 2:25 p. ot" : , 11 Particle 31 Short-napped secretion x | 7 EVERY THURSDAY com 12 Ardor gg NIE fin) 3 Hil (Seat) | oi i Metal—Wood—Crystal—Leather of Bichgar j 4 ’ 13 Rodents ainte (ab, en |will till your order tor any : enemy of ex 4 2 Answer (ab) {3 Rodents re Ee (bY Nar | ; o % Metal Frames Made to Order tiemen.’ bro HARUGe 21 Pennants 40 Whims 54 Fiber knots {book reviewed or advertised > 483.000 25 Symbol for © 22 Penetrated 41Genus of 56 Symbol for ah ‘ Select your frame from the finest $5,482,000,000 niobium 24 Rates of shrubs. 56 tntaium hate. pe group of frames available. 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