Hal pa. By Franz de Jessen. (William Heinemann. 6s.) —Mr.
de Jessen is himself a Dane, but in his latest book he has given us a vivid and, we imagine, a true account of life in Russia among the better-educated classes. Katy& herself Is a woman who has "borne children and yet is barren," who has many lovers and never knows what love is, who tyrannizes and is herself oppressed; her life is spent, partly in Russia, partly in the Balkans, as wife of the Russian Consul at Stradovo, and when, towards the end of the book, she falls into the background, Mr. de Jessen turns his hand to an admirable and vigorous picture of the rioting of revolutionaries at Odessa. It takes a little time before we feel ourselves well launched in the book, chiefly because of the complex names of the characters and their habitual possession of two apiece ; the heroine is called indifferently "Katya. Rilinski" and "Ekaterina Sergievna," and a woman with the name of "Elisaveta Vasilierna Milukin" is not easily recognized at first. But it is a story of great interest, and Mr. Worster has done his work of translation well on the whole, if he uses split infinitives by the score. How can we blame him when nine out of every ten original writers do the like P
Previous page
