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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 *