Adam : Twenty-first Anniversary Issue. (2s. 6d.) IT is an
achievement these days for a little review to reach its majority, and it would be churlish to refuse to recognise this success of Adam and its editor. They have had a birth- day party—rather a turbulent one, appar- ently—and congratulations from all sorts of people, including T. S. Eliot, Jean Cocteau and Christopher Fry. In the face of this, criticism is obviously disarmed, especi- ally as Miron Grindea, the editor, has shared his good luck with those less fortu- nate than himself : Colonnade will, for the time being, appear within the covers of Adam. However, it must be said that the fare offered is hardly up to birthday stan- dards. The best thing in this number is the extract from Rosamund Lehtnann's novel, The Echoing Grove (published some months ago), but otherwise there is not much to fill the hungry reader. Edmond Fleg's apoca- lyptic poem falls a little flat, while the less ambitious French pieces are scrappy. The English contributors are hardly in a better state, though it is to be hoped that the prizes offered for the best poem, Short story and essay of the year will do something to im- prove the situation. Many happier returns than this to Adam and its editor. A. H.
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