Show Engrossing Study of Charles Dickens in New Biography Refreshing Version of Great Novelists Novelist's Life Done by Straus By HELEN GARRITY A new biographer has looked ed with quiet understanding at bizarre Dickens Ralph Straus makes no attempt to color his readers reader's view of The Inimitable and his re resUlting resulting re- re suIting biography is restful in instructive instructive in- in and whimsically entertain entertain- ing The vital overwhelming personality person person- lity of Charles Dickens has interested interested interested inter inter- ested scores of writers desirous of probing and analyzing his moods and actions Ho He has been psyched with a frequency and an inconsistency ency oncy enc r that have proved tedious to the many lovers of the prolific masters master's masters master's mas nias- ter's works How refreshing then is this calm caIrn conscientious unbiased unbiased unbiased ased version of the hectic life of that notable character how essential essen to a Dickens library CHILD PRODIGY Dickens possessed an amazing versatility from his earliest years He was WItS something of or a prodigy with his Iris original little songs and interpreted by himself be before before before be- be fore the elegant amused audience of his father fathers friends His father an impecunious but lovable man was aware of his sons son's groping talent talent talent tal tal- tal- tal ent but as he was a self-centered self Sybarite he found little time or money to Indulge the childs child's longIng longIng longing long- long Ing for the tue best schools and teach teach- ers Suddenly Into the growing boys boy's life came the tire bitter humiliation of poverty and his pitiful attempts to support himself ingrained in his character a fierce knowledge dge of the tire power of money As the biographer er points out if in after life he was accused of being mercenary this experience was the source source of it Later Later Later La La- ter as a young court reporter the boy had ad the unhappy experience of I being rejected by a girl he idolized Judging from her reactions however however however how how- ever she was really a vapid merchants merchant's merchants merchant's merchants merchant's mer mer- chants chant's daughter who greeted his poetic outbursts with baffled am and uncomprehending stupidity A few years later he married an equally stodgy girl and soon plunged himself Into his Iris life work of writing Pickwick Papers Papers' brought instantaneous fame anc anchis and his popularity and enormous fi financial financial financial fi- fi returns increased with each novel Ills His ensuing life was a mad hodge podge of writing lecturing and traveling TRAGIC NOTE Charles Dickens the tire man was Incorrigibly in incorrigibly In- In corrigibly romantic hilariously gay and yet infinitely lonely He Ire sought escape in crowds and even after years filled flIed with as much activity and amid diversion as it is 1 possible to cram into the human life span he often expressed a f feeling el ng of frustration frustration frustration frus fru's frus frus- and futility This This- T his tragic note in the life of a widely heralded heralded heralded her her- conformist Is deeply interestIng interesting interesting interest- interest Ing and the speculation which the biographer has pleasantly omitted is quickly supplied by the reader and keenly enjo jd d The book is like a rare old portrait portrait portrait por por- trait before whose softly blurred colors and lines Iines one one can ponder and dream How stimulating it Is Isto isto Isto to reconstruct into tangibility a a glowing life always with that tantalizing tantalizing tantalizing tan tan- awareness that myriads of ol other possible interpretations await creation within the unbounded realms of ones one's fancy The reader feels deeply indebted to the biographer biographer for this rarest most and and and most delightful delightful de de- of book experiences experiences experiences-Cos- Cos Cosmopolitan Book corpor corporation tion New NewYork NewYork NewYork York City |