LITERATURE, CONTINENTAL, IN 1879. 



559 



stagnation, signs of vigorous progress are ap- 

 p.-uvut, mainly the result of the efforts made by 

 i In- able critic Georg Brandes. His last work 

 is Benjamin Disraeli, Earl of Beaconsfield." 



The author of " Jason with the Golden 

 Fleeco" has followed his first production with 

 others equally lifelike, clear, and free from false 

 decoration. Another pseudonymous writer, 

 " Diodoros," has produced under a general title, 

 " The Eternal Strife," three poems demanding 

 notice for their graphic stylo, earnest feeling, 

 and graceful humor. A. Skram has published 

 a boldly realistic romance called "Gertrude 

 Colbjorns3n." K. Gjellerup tells in " The Ideal- 

 ist " the story of an enthusiast with " humani- 

 tarian " views of life. In Schandorph's story 

 in verso called " Youthful Days " the hero is a 

 young man of our times whose will is energetic, 

 while his practical aims are not clear. Erslev, 

 in his historical sketch " King and Vassal in 

 the Sixteenth Century," gives able descriptions 

 of old institutions and their relations. " Insig- 

 nificant People " is a collection of stories by 

 Carit Etlar. la " Religion and Politics," given 

 in the shape of the last will and testament left 

 by a Socialist, the writer, whose pseudonym is 

 "Theodorus," assumes an independent ideal 

 position. 



SWEDEN-. The work which has caused tho 

 greatest excitement in Sweden of late, "Roda 

 Rummet" (''The Red Chamber"), contains 

 accounts of the artistic and literary life of 

 Stockholm. The young author, August Strind- 

 berg, is acknowledged by every one to be most 

 gifted, but he belongs to the school of Zola. 

 The volume is of special interest as being tho 

 first of its kind in Sweden. The author is also 

 eager to show not only that this world is tho 

 worst of all possible worlds, but that the ar- 

 tistic-literary world of Stockholm is epecially 

 bad. An admirable collection of novelties is 

 "Gamla Kort" ("Old Bard"), by Claes Lun- 

 din. Richard Gustafsson calls his latest work 

 " Metropolitan Types.'' Another group of tales, 

 "Svart pa Hvitt" (" Black upon White "), is by 

 Frans Hedberg. The popular novels published 

 under the signature " H." are by the wife of a 

 professor in the principal university. 



A promising new poet bears the name of- 

 Baath. Oestergren has produced a new vol- 

 ume of poems. The splendid collection of pop- 

 ular Swedish ballads has been republished with 

 notes by R. Bergstrom and J. L. Hoijer. 



Professor G. Retzius, the famous anthropol- 

 ogist, has published a work on Finnish cra- 

 niums. 



A Positivist disciple, Dr. A. Nystrom, has 

 written a studious essay on Comte and his 

 doctrines. 



NORWAY. In Norway tho fermentation of 

 religious thought has impregnated the entire 

 literature. The dramas of Ibsen and Bjdrn- 

 stjerne BjSrnson are saturated with religious 

 speculations. The new dramas of the latter, 

 "Leonarda" and "Dot nye System" ("The 

 New System "), are indignant protests against 



tho hypocrisy and Philistinism of modern so- 

 ciety. Ibsen's latest work, " Et Dukkehjem " 

 ("The Doll's House"), is a masterly tragedy 

 of domestic life. 



There is no lack of novelists in Norway. 

 Their favorite subject hitherto, peasant life, 

 has at last been abandoned for more fruitful 

 fields. The sketchy novelettes of Alexander 

 Kjelland, a young author of genius, are the 

 best productions of the year. 



The new theory of Professor S. Buggo and 

 Dr. A. Chr. Bang, that Scandinavian mythol- 

 ogy is derived from Greek and Roman sources 

 or based upon Christian legends, is creating a 

 good deal of excitement in intellectual circles. 



POLAND. Historical research has the most 

 attractions for Polish scholarship. A number 

 of collections of historical materials, such as 

 the " Diplomatic Codex of Great Poland," the 

 "Monumerita Poloniro Historica," etc., are 

 being published. " The Ancient History of 

 Poland," a posthumous work by Julian Barto- 

 szewicz, and Professor Bobrzynski's " Outlines 

 of Polish History," are remarkable books. The 

 latter has created much, stir owing to the gloomy 

 views tho author takes of the events an/1 actors 

 in Polish history. Several works upon sub- 

 jects connected with the literary history of 

 Poland have appeared. 



Poetical literature has degenerated in Poland 

 as well as in other countries. The few volumes 

 of verse published are of indifferent quality. 



In theatrical literature, the most noteworthy 

 productions are " Article 264," a broad com- 

 edy, by Kas. Zalewski, and "Dama Treflowa," 

 a comedy of unusual excellence, by tho same 

 writer. 



The most prolific of authors, Joseph J. Kra- 

 szewski, has produced no less than ten new nov- 

 els during the year. Mme. Elise Orzesko, in 

 " Meir Ezofowicz," depicts the life of the Po- 

 lih Jews with remarkable power and fidelity. 

 Other new novels are by " T. T. Jez " (Sig. Mil- 

 kowski) and Sig. Kaczkowski, the historical 

 novelist. 



BOHEMIA. Literary activity was greater in 

 1879 in Bohemia than in any preceding year. 

 More and more interest seems to be taken in the 

 national literature, and more ambitious works 

 are written and published than formerly. 



In poetical literature may be mentioned 

 Verchlicky's translation of the " Divina Corn- 

 media" and his "Myths," and particularly 

 Heyduk's " Grandfather's Bequest," a charming 

 love-tale, and at the same time an allegorical 

 eulogy of popular song. Pokorny 's " Under the 

 Bohemian Sky" and "Unerotic Songs" are 

 written in a pleasant vein of satire. 



In drama the most conspicuous productions 

 of the year are the comedy entitled " The Lit- 

 erary Tilt- Yard," by Vesely, and J. Fric's tra- 

 gedy " Svatupluk and Rostislav." 



There is an increased abundance of novels, 

 by Steankovsky, Jirasek, Berta Mahlstein, and 

 others. 



Sobotka's work on "Plants and their Sig- 



