QUOT HOMINES
[To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR.] SI/1,—We Wish to protest against Mr. John Sparrow's review of four volumes of poems—" Advance-Guard Actions "--in your issue of December 15th. In this review Laura Riding's Poet : A Lying Word is associated with three slight, unim- portant and immature works. It is not merely a grave critical, but a grave factual, error to notice the publication of Miss Riding's latest poems in this way. These poems are what serious readers have come to expect from Miss Riding : the definitive utterance of poetic doctrine. That Mr. Sparrow should record this literary event with the words "Miss Riding and Mr. Barker give no indication of possessing any literary ability" is a gross abuse of his privilege as a reviewer, and at the same time an insult to those readers who expect from The Spectator a sane account of what is happening in current literature. If, he felt incapable .of dealing with these poems, as is clear, he should have announced, merely, that a new, book of poems by Laura Riding had appeared, instead of covering. his critical inepti- tude by lumping the book with others which obviously do not demand serious treatment.
We wish to protest against such procedure in the name of poetic values and of news values.—We are Sir, &c., MARY BURTONWOOD, GEORGE ELLIDGE, ROBERT
• GRA.VES,-- EMLYS ROBERTS, J. BRONOWSKI, JOHN ALDRIDGE, LUCIE BROWN, Place House, Great Bardfield, Essex.
[To talk of "abuse of privilege as a reviewer" is, with all respect, sheer nonsense. The first duty of a reviewer is to say plainly what he _honestly thinks. The fact that other individuals, who are equally entitled to their opinions, may happen to differ from him is totally irrelevant.—En. The Spectator.]
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