Correspondence
Poet Objects!
Dear Editors:
This letter cannot be called dismterested,
but I believe at any rate it is impersonally
partial.
Your new number read, and it strikes me
with even greater force that the critical
function of the Review is far more creative
than is the creative function. I am glad to
see LONG reviews and articles. Length in
these things is important. But as for
Mary King's story, to which you award half
the prize,
if
your judgment is correct and
it is really tops over practically 300 stories,
PARTISAN REVIEW is not Servil1g the public
by such a contest and is, esthetically, wast–
ing its money.
What is this story really worth? It can
be estimated in a very few words. Its
virtues, aside from a few good poetic
images, are wholly negative. It simply does
not commit any of the popular or vulgar
errors of contemporary short story writing.
In fact, its plot hardly entitles it to be a
short story, except as it is, unprogressively,
Chekhovian, for after all it 'has not the ac–
complishment of Chekhov. The theme is
banal, and excusable only as it be held at
a very profound level. While some of the
incidental intuitions are genuinely poetic,
the vitality of a Sherwood Anderson, at
least, is needed to give it real distinction.
In fact, apart from its contemporary social
implications, which are not precisely in the
texture of the story itself, there is nothing
in it which poetry has not said for thous–
ands of years.
Without going into the question of why
such sentiments seem more palatable to you
in p:ose than in poetry, I do suggest, em–
phatically, that you would improve the
value of the magazine by confining it to
criticism, and excluding both poetry and
fiction, For on the basis of what you have
published of
th~o
latter categories, the
REVIEW has no reason for a monthly exist–
ence.
PARKER TYLER,
New York City.
Newsstands and Politics
Nancy Macdonald, business manager,
Dear Friend,
It is some time since I have written in.
However, am buying PARTISAN REVIBW
each month from the news stands and
interested as much as ever in its ,Progress.
Unfortunately here
in
Calgary the Stalinists
have a monopoly on the news stands. Most
of the stands, at least the largest, are oper–
ated by the followers of Stalin and con–
sequently they hesitate to display the Re–
view, which they claim to be a counter–
revolutionary sheet, etc. One dealer said he
wouldn't sell any more and strung up a
row of
New Masses
in its place. However,
he couldn't sell them and now he has one
PARTISAN REVIEW on display, at least a
fringe of same.
I try ,to be very tolerant and not enter
into a debate with these fanatical creatures
but some big mogul of the Party
(c.
P.)
has no doubt tipped them off as to this
dangerous literature.
My economic status has improved but
slightly since writing last. However, a
bumper crop is promised in the West this
coming fall.
If
such should materialize you
can depend on me taking out a year's sub
to the P.R. In the meantime best of wisht's
and that the heat is not too vicious in New
York this summer. It is hot enough here
just now.
Proletarian Greetings,
CHAS. LEMESURIER,
Calgary, Canada.
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