On the Four Quartets of T. S. Eliot. Anon. With
a foreword by Roy Campbell. (Vincent Stuart. 10s. 6d.) Tins is an original work of criticism, the product of the right kind of unprofessional devotion. For it is written by one who loves the poems; has clearly lived in their com- pany for a long while, and who speaks of than with true understanding. The author claims as authority for writing a familiarity with experiences of the kind the Quartets deal with.. This is more than enough to make the book's interpretation of the Quartets interesting. In fact it is much more than that, since it relates Mr. Eliot's thoughts on time, love, sacrifice and con- sciousness to those of other mystical writers, and in doing so greatly deepens the reader's understanding of the poems. For this interpretation, though philosophical, is based paragraph by paragraph on the text of the Quartets, and makes no attempt to draw conclusions that are not implicit in the lines and the imagery. It is particularly happy in its treatment of the inter-connec- tions between the Quartets themselves, and between them and The Waste Land. The writing is free from critical jargon ; the writer's knowledge of poetry is clearly partial, but enthusiastic. Sometimes the argument is a little wayward. But if more books could be written with this freshness, the contemporary poet could be satisfied that he had won an audience. J. M. C.
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