| Show Girl Writes Winning Prize First Novel at 22 About Family Life Over Three Generations 4 A AS S c cr ch r h 4 r S rh I J. J S i 1 s r Y L d Rene Kuhn who critics say Promises to be one of the very bright stars Authors of winning prize-winning first novels novels novels nov nov- els keep getting younger and young young- er Latest is Rene Kuhn who at 22 has produced a work that has won high praise from hard-bitten hard critics Her book 34 Charlton won the Major 1 Hopwood award f for r fiction in 1944 and went into three printings before being released to d dealers alers This is the second Hopwood award that Miss Kuhn has garnered however however how how- however ever since she captured the short story prize in 1943 Her poetry also attracted attention during her school years Way Yay back when she was only 10 she wrote an essay on the old frigate the U U. S. S S. S Constitution that won first prize at San Marino Hall Pasadena Calif So writing her way to fame is just lust a habit for Miss Kuhn 34 Charlton is a three-generation three story about a family in New York city It centers about a girls girl's self- self emancipation from a possessive matriarchal matriarchal matriarchal ma ma- household Most 1 of the action is placed in the Greenwich village section Miss Kuhn who lives in the village at present is the fourth generation of her family to become a part of the famous colony of writers and artists She knows the background of her story intimately Her birthplace nevertheless was far from New York It was Honolulu Her father was then editor of the Honolulu Star Bulletin her moth moth- er a foreign correspondent for a large syndicate Soon the family journeyed to Shanghai China and she spent her early years in that distant distant distant dis dis- dis- dis tant land She learned Chinese before English In her travels with her mother after her father died she saw a good part of the world Today she speaks French Spanish and Portuguese Portuguese Portuguese Por Por- as well as English but her Chinese is getting rusty from dis dis- use After attending many schools Rene matriculated at Swarthmore college She was graduated from the University of Michigan in 1944 It was during her junior year that she began her novel that has skyrocketed sky rock eted her to nationwide notice She is isnow isnow isnow now at work on a second story which she hopes to finish this year while visiting in Brazil Rene despite her international experiences experiences experiences ex ex- is completely American She hopes to settle in the West Vest with an apartment in San Francisco and anda a ranch in Colorado I HI like the West Vest she says because of its I spaciousness Somehow Western people have time to be gracious Katherine Brush brilliant and whimsical newspaper and magazine writer says Rene has a fine new talent The story is unfailingly in in- in interesting Gene Fowler goes even farther Rene Kuhn in her first novel promises to be one of the very bright st stars rs |
