346
PARTISAN REVIEW
And: "The poetry is consistently bad, apparently selected by mingled
timidity and ignorance."
As to subject·matter of articles, practically everybody-9 out of 10
again-wants more articles on writers and writing. Only slightly less
popular are articles on philosophy. There was more disagreement on art
and politics, though in both cases those who want more outnumbered those
who want less by about 4 to
l.
*
A variety of new subjects was suggested. Music with 21 write·in
votes, was easily first, with Economics a poor second (11 votes), and
Science and Sociology tied for third (9 each). Other suggestions, in order
of popularity, were: Theatre and Dance, History, Psychology, the Labor
Movement, Radio, Education, Propaganda, Religion, Linguistics, Architec·
ture, and Semantics.
4.
What do readers think about PR's politics?
Under the heading of general likes and dislikes, the sharpest dis·
agreement appeared, as might be expected, in the political field. Of those
who mentioned politics in their replies, 47 expressed criticism of one kind
or another, while 59 approved of PR's politics. Typical of the latter is
this reply to Question 5 ("What in general do you like about PARTISAN
REVIEW?"):
"l.
Its rational Leftist analysis and criticism.
2'.
Its cool·
headedness in a warmongering atmosphere.''
The critics, who generally expressed themselves at considerably
greater length than those approving (a tendency
obs~rvable
throughout
the questionnaire and scarcely to be wondered at), fall into three groups:
those who think the magazine is not revolutionary enough (6), those who
think it is too anti·Stalinist (9), and the majority, who are unsympathetic
in general to its Marxist political line (32). A typical comment in the
first group, under "dislike," is: "its deviation from a correct political line
and yielding to bourgeois war pressure." Or, as another reader put it in
American: "your going sissy in the last few issues and soft·pedalling on
politics."
A reader in Cambridge, Mass., well sums up the objections of the
rnajority of critics: "The politics seem to me very naive and unreal: a real
ivory·tower position from which any one coming forth with a concrete
program for action can be attacked. Of course all concrete programs in·
volve concessions and compromises; they are all impure and tarnished as
•
Horiizon's
poll contrasts sharply with these figures, except for the demand for
more articles on writers and writing, which is as strong among
Horizon's
readers as
among ours. Whereas PR's articles are much more popular than its stories and poems,
the opposite is the case with
Horizon.
And while 36o/o of
Horizon's
readers want
fewer political articles (by far the most unpopular category), only 20% of PR's read·
ers ask for less politics, as against 55% who want less poetry and
45 o/o
who want
fewer stories. These contrasting results may indicate that
Horizon
prints better crea·
tive material than PR, but inferior political articles. Or that British intellectuals–
whether because of wartime 'escapism' or general cultural background-are less inter·
ested in politics than their American similars. Or both.
