Shorter Notices
F S P. An N.C.O.'s description of his and others' first six months of war. By Sgt. A. Gwynne-Browne. (Chatto and Windus. 6s.) Asian to state a defect characteristic of young writers of today, one would say " lack of modesty." This lack of modesty is due to a threefold lack of respect—i.e., respect towards their subject, them-
selves and their art Its inevitable consequence is incapable amateurishness and often pretentiousness. These faults are present in this book and make it almost unreadable, except perhaps to those unaware of the original whose manner the writer has imitated ; these may accordingly toll through its pages imagining they have some- thing exceedingly fresh and novel when what is before them is a copy of Gertrude Stein's manner—one might even say of a Gertrude Stein mannerism. Sgt. Gwynne-Browne had a real war-experience. Could he trust himself to set it down accurately and simply? Apparently not, for his simple tale is told in a series of irritating Steinish stutters. " This is what I saw, this is what ,happened to me," should be the theme of every writer who has a tale to tell ; a fatal flaw mars the work of those who borrow other peoples' plumes, for it suggests that their prime motive is to make an effect, not to put down the truth as faithfully and vividly as possible—which is the only thing worth having from a writer. Mr. Gwynne-Browne might have written a much better book ; he is intelligent and capable of seeing and thinking for himself if not yet of successful expression.
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