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-An Estimate of ylndre yiiauroisaI
I' IS an astonishing phenomenon that a coun
try which finds its particular culture incar
nated by Maurice Barres should, nevertheless,
tui its most effective interpreter in Andre
ilaurois. Barres represents mystic Catholicism; he
mboli/.es the chauvinistic aristocracy which is
(ill the keynote of the Republic. It is Andre
| laurois, however, who has. during the past few
*arv introduced thousands of Ameri-
and Englishmen to the wise toler-
iht and intellectual grace which are
Iresumahly characteristic of the Gallic
iv il taxation.
Most literary men insist that the art
it w riting is universal that the racial
(train of an artist is barely traceable in
Us work. However, it is difficult to
inderstand the part played by Andre
.laurois in the French literature of to-
lay unless one recognizes that he is a
lew. To think of him only as a French-
nan makes it impossible to appreciate
he background from which he sprung
ind which provided him with the equip-
nrnt to differentiate him from and lift
lim above those Frenchmen whose
iailic blood may trace back to the fif-
•nth century.
Not since the death of Anatole France
las there been anyone among French
writers to appeal so strongly to the
ympathies and imagination of the Eng-
'h-speaking world as does Andre
•laurois. There are men of greater
Iterary skill, such as Andre Gide; there
|:e those of more profound minds, such
Romain Rutland. But the books of
• laurois appear in English in ever-in-
reasing number, and his successive volumes en-
rench him more deeply in the affections of the
fading public.
I he secret of Andre Maurois is that he repre-
fnts a synthesis. Without being a violent inter-
lationalist, he is a cosmopolitan. Without being
crusader, he is a believer. Without being a
nic, he is undogmatic. Anatole France achieved
1at ‘deal combination of virtues. He, it must be
kmembered, was frequently said to be of Hebraic
h*' action also. There is no creed which binds
| luro ' s to itself because of habit of tradition—
p pt loyalty to that intangible something called
( ance. Being unidentified with cliques, owing
' fiance to no political or religious party, Andre
I turois has the unique privilege of surveying the
rtnch scene with the objectivity which is the
ingredient of tolerance. Having been born
‘ re ared in France, where his people have been
iciied for a century, Maurois senses the
| n<rh and color of the country. He is, in other
|>rds, the ideal interpreter. He knows France
"Ughly and his vision is unclouded by per-
• prejudices and passions. Perhaps a pure
-nan may achieve that unique impartiality.
Ir !a ^ remains that Maurois is a Jew, that his
> indifference to his Jewishness is a factor com-
•: his greater attachment to and understand-
K French values. In many respects, his case
nar to that of an even more famous and
By Henry Monfor
In this appreciation of the famous French biographer,
novelist and essayist, Mr. Montor comments on the
anomaly of a Jew being the outstanding literary am
bassador of the country which could provoke a Drev-
fuss djfaire. Mr. Montor also sketchily previews the
three latest volumes by Maurois and relates them to
his general career.
Courtaqr D.
MR. AND MRS. ANDRE MAUROIS
. . . Devotion to France shall never be impugned. . . .
brilliant French Jew', Marcel Proust. Maurois’
ability to synthesize the French point of
view* and to translate it to the world to the
great satisfaction of a majority of his countrymen
is paralleled by the universality of his literary
gifts. He is biographer, essayist, novelist. 'To
each of these arts he brings a special style which
distinguishes him and his work. He is equally
competent in the three fields, even though for each
there is required a different approach and tem
perament. 'Three volumes which have been issued
almost simultaneously in this country testify to
the breadth of his interests as well as to the
catholicity of his literary gifts. They are “ The
Family Circle,” “A Private Universe” and “Vol
taire” (D. Appleton & Co.). The first is a novel,
the second a collection of essays, feuilletons and
marginal notes, the third a biography.
The esteem in which Maurois is held in France
itself is based primarily upon his capacity for
recreating the French family and surrounding it
with the atmosphere which separates it definitely
from every other national family unit. “ I he
Family Circle” describes the subtle changes that
have occurred in the French moral outlook during
the past two generations. It also pillories the
self-righteousness of those who revolted by lapses
from convention as practiced by.others. But it is
neither the fable nor the sociological background
which gives substance to Maurois’ latest novel.
“ The Family Circle,” largely reminiscent of a
previous novel, “'The Atmosphere of Love,” is a
fascinating account of French family life because
it demonstrates an extraordinary understanding of
the individual mind and is able to interpret the
psychological motivations of its characters’ con
duct. Maurois can take a frail theme and infuse
it with strength and vividness. He lifts the ordi
nary and the monotonous into a level of
high romance and drama. It is his flair
for delineation of character which is his
chief strength. For he has written at
least three novels around the textile
manufacturing centers of France, has
chosen almost similar sets of circum
stances, has restricted himself to the
clash of the mercantile with the artistic
temperament—and yet each of these
novels has a distinct flavor. Moreover
Maurois grows in stature with each of
his chronicles. He becomes more ur
bane, exhibits greater powers of insight,
achieves new capacity for graphic con
densation.
“A Private Universe” introduces us
to Maurois, the social and economic
thinker. His liberalism is tainted by
skepticism. A champion of the League
of Nations, he cannot but remark on
the ulterior motives of each of its mem
bers. Sympathetic to the experiment in
Soviet Russia, he nevertheless predicts a
revolt against State capitalism, not be-
cause the Communist regime will neces-
Appieton ft Oo. sarily he tyrannical, but becaqse there
arc instincts in men which combat the
general good. And yet Maurois is suffi
ciently sympathetic to the plight of men
—and sufficiently naive—to urge that a process
of education be undertaken by the State in order
to eradicate the passion for war and animosities
born out of racial differences. There are no
heights to which man cannot attain, Maurois be
lieves, provided chauvinism and selfishness are
eliminated. With the same breath that he pre
dicts the millenium, Maurois delivers himself of
a skeptical essay on the future of war. This
volatility, this ability to argue with conviction and
with sincerity on two radically different points of
view, this flight from one goal to another because
of inability to fasten heroically and fanatically
upon a central objective, arc common, perhaps, to
the modern liberal. At the same time, it is un
wise to ignore the fact that this intellectual oscil
lation is most characteristic of the contemporary
Jewish mind, torn from its moorings of tradition
and floating aimlessly about the ideal buoys of today.
In “Voltaire,” Maurois has not added to his
repute as a biographer. It is, of course, designed
as a popular summary of the career of the eight
eenth century pseudo-philosopher, and is part of
the new series of Appleton biographies, but it does
not give Maurois the scope and the leisure which
are so essential to his peculiar art. The hasty
generalizations, the rapid chronological account,
the summation of Voltaire’s views through single
and usually dramatic incidents do not make for a
comprehensive and thor- (Please turn to page 17)
E ^UTHERN ISRAELITE *