Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma

Review
Author(s): G. Moser
Review by: G. Moser
Source: Books Abroad, Vol. 28, No. 3 (Summer, 1954), p. 366
Published by: Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/40096133
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 366 BOOKS ABROAD
jumper, made his literary debut in 1950 with
an autobigraphical work, Fra spr0ytehopp til
Planica, and in the present volume he ad-
dresses himself to the youth of Norway with
a direct and appealing honesty. He deals stern-
ly and uncompromisingly with topics such as
political and moral puritanism, racial preju-
dice, sex education, and the essentials of self
respect. He is not an evangelist, but rather, as
Sigurd Hoel says in his introduction, "He sits
down, plays his tune, and hopes that some of
those walled up within will come out in the
open and begin to dance." Schjelderup's is a
hopeful, courageous message that might have
been addressed to the youth of the world as
well as to the youth of Norway.
Lawrence S. Thompson
University of Kentucky Libraries
^ Manuel Bandeira. Goncalves Dias. Rio de
Janeiro. Pongetti. 1952. 233 pages.
The author is the first to confess that this book
adds nothing new to our knowledge concern-
ing Brazil's first great romantic poet. Taking
the best of preceding studies as a basis, Ban-
deira has written for the general public rather
than for scholars. However, the sympathetic
insight with which a leading poet of our day
views the life and work of one of his more
notable predecessors imparts to this book a
peculiar interest and value. The portrait thus
drawn gives the reader an unusual sense of
intimacy with the man and his observations on
the processes and devices employed by Gon-
calves Diaz form an outstanding contribution
to poetic criticism. R. E. Dimmic\
Washington, D. C.
* Alberto Leal. Retrato de Luciano. Sao
Paulo. Saraiva. 1952. 187 pages. Cr. 10$.
With apologies to Octavio de Faria, this work
might be termed comedia burguesa. The hero,
spoiled as a child, tied to his mother's apron
strings even after reaching his majority, has a
series of business misadventures, as a result of
which, fleeing the law, he seeks refuge in Mato
Grosso. In those primitive surroundings, free
of feminine influence, he at last makes a man
of himself. Luciano's character is developed
with keen psychological insight; while the plot
is somewhat conventional in outline, the in-
dividual episodes are treated with striking
realism. A delightful sense of humor is dis-
played throughout the book, setting it quite
apart from the usual contemporary Brazilian
fiction. It is a cause for sincere regret that the
author should have died while still a relatively
young man. R. E. Dimmic\
Washington, D. C.
This content downloaded from 130.194.20.173 on Fri, 20 Nov 2015 03:29:41 UTC
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* Miguel Torga. Didrio VI. Coimbra. The
Author. 1953. 20$.
The writer, a sensitive seismograph, register-
ing the tremors of the world or his own," func-
tions critically from the vantage point of a
calm and ancient European city, diffident and
proud. How does an introspective individual
in Coimbra react to nationalism, to Gide's
death, to Leonardo da Vinci, to Pascoaes's pass-
ing, to Spain, to Mr. Truman, to the mass age?
Anxiety and disenchantment, at the ap-
proach of death- at 46!- endow this volume
with a depth lacking in the plaintive earlier
ones. But all are unique in that they enclose
poems still imbedded in the dailv soil from
which they sprang. G. Moser
Pennsylvania State University
^ Peider Lansel, ed. Musa rumantscha: Musa
romontscha. Samedan. Lia Rumantscha.
1950. 301 pages.
JNot the least surprising feature or this at-
tractively-printed anthology is the fact that
sixty poets are represented, with an average of
six poems each. This is not to say that the
entire Romansh-speaking population of Swit-
erland (about 50,000) devotes most of its time
to the fruits of Pallas (several nineteenth-cen-
tury writers are included), but the output is
nonetheless impressive.
Aside from excellent introductions (parts
of which are also given in French), the work
is divided into two parts: Ladin (i. e., Enga-
dine, a more precise term) and Rhenish (an
excellent term). Good biographical notices are
furnished, as well as Rhenish-Ladin and Ladin-
Supersylvan (the chief Rhenish subdialect)
glossaries.
The tone is predominantly lyrical, and there
is great variety in versification. One of the most
striking (and yet not surprising) features is
the recurrence of the linguistic theme- the
almost nostalgic pride of these rugged people
in a language spoken by only one per cent of
the Swiss, and yet officially on a par with Ger-
man, French, and Italian. Such titles as Als
Rumauntschs ladins, A la lingua materna, II
lungatg, etc., well illustrate the point. One
cannot help wishing these good people well.
Lawrence Foston, jr.
University of Oklahoma
^ S. G. Pushkarev. Obzor russ\oj istorii.
New York. Chekhov. 1953. 509 pages+
1 map. $3.
This is a survey or Russian history, containing
a comprehensive explanation of the chief
events. Pushkarev tries to interpret these events