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LITERATURE, CONTINENTAL, IN 1879. 



nificance in the Songs, Stories, Myths, etc., of 

 the Slavonian Race," is a valuable contribution 

 to primitive Slavic history. Sembera's " Mid- 

 dle Ages " is a still more interesting study of 

 Slavic history. Other important works on 

 history have been published. The travels of 

 Dr. Erail Holub are awakening much interest. 



HUNGARY. An important event has been 

 the completion of the greatest poetical work 

 of the chief of Hungarian poets. John Arany, 

 under the title of " Toldy Szenelme " (" The 

 Love of Toldy "), an epic poem, has concluded 

 his famous Toldy trilogy, of which the first 

 part, a description of the youth of the hero, 

 was published in 1846, while the third part, in 

 which the fall and the death of Toldy are re- 

 lated, came out in 1854. 



"Rab Raby," a new novel by Maurice J6- 

 kai, is a story of the time of Joseph II. It is 

 founded on a memoir published in Strasburg 

 in 1797. 



Francis Pulszky's memoirs make a valuable 

 contribution to history from the light they 

 throw on the Revolution of 1848. A delight- 

 ful volume of memoirs, by a deceased actress, 

 Mme. L)ery, has been published. The posthu- 

 mous works of Count Stephen Szechenyi, a 

 distinguished patriot, have attracted much at- 

 tention. 



Some most interesting works on comparative 

 philology have appeared, such as Professor 

 Budenz's "Comparative Dictionary," which 

 has reached the division of words commencing 

 with vowels ; those in the Finn-Ugrian as well 

 as in the Tatar-Turkish languages are few com- 

 pared with those commencing with consonants. 

 Vambery has edited the poems of the Turko- 

 man bard Makdumkuli. Professor Genetz has 

 published some Lapponian texts. The Codex 

 of Festus, a part of the literary treasure pre- 

 sented to Hungary by the Sultan, has been 

 edited by Professor Tewrewk. A systematic 

 grammar of the Magyar language in its rela- 

 tions to cognate tongues has been written by 

 Professor Simonyi. Salomon's "History of 

 Buda-Pesth in Antiquity " and Baron Radransz- 

 ky's " Mediaeval Households in Hungary" are 

 both valuable accessions to the national history. 



ITALY. The study of the national literature 

 draws the attention of Italian authors more 

 than any other subject at present. Signor 

 Bartoli continues the publication of his " Sto- 

 ria della Letteratura Italiana." He has also 

 prepared a catalogue of the National Library 

 in Florence. Professor Del Lungo devotes two 

 thick volumes to proving the authenticity of 

 the Chronicle of Dino Compagni. Dr. Attilio 

 Hortis lias published an able study on the Latin 

 works of Boccaccio. 



Senator Marco Tabarrini has written an in- 

 teresting account of the life and studies of 

 Gino Capponi. A biography of Manzoni con- 

 tains some interesting letters of his. P. G. 

 Molmenti has written a good critique on Gol- 

 doni; and a volume of the poet's inedited let- 

 ters has been published. An intensely inter- 



esting book is the autobiography of the famous 

 living sculptor, Giovanni Dupre. 



The novels of Zola and the poetry of Lorenzo 

 Stecchetti find many admirers and imitators. 

 "Giacinta" is a novel by a brilliant author, 

 Capuana, which has the full flavor of French 

 naturalism. Two more novels of the ultra- 

 realistic school are " Candaule," by R. Sacchet- 

 ti, and " Cesare," by Bruno Sperani (pseudo- 

 nym of a lady). Among others are a beautiful 

 story by Barrili, " II Tesoro di Golconda," and 

 a historical novel, the scene of which is laid 

 in Rome in the seventh century, " Saturnine," 

 by R. Giovagnoli ; finally, the spirited sketches 

 of Matilde Serao, a young Greek lady settled 

 at Naples, and of Giovanni Faldella. Ed- 

 mondo de Amicis and Salvatore Farina are 

 each of them busy with a novel. 



An interesting revelation of'Nihilistic thought 

 is given in a volume by G. B. Arnando. In 

 protest and in contrast to the realistic produc- 

 tions is the " Grido " of the poet Rizzi, and 

 the "Anticaglie " of Felice Cavallotti. " Lach- 

 rymse," a volume of elegiac verse by Giuseppi 

 Chiarini, " L' Acqua," by Giuseppi Regaldi, 

 and Rapisardi's translation of Lucretius, are 

 poems of merit and beauty. 



Senator Tullo Massarani has written a vol- 

 ume of admirable art criticism, "L'Arte a 

 Parigi." 



Vittorio Bersezio describes in an attractive 

 manner the reign of Victor Emanuel, giving 

 importance to the literary movement under 

 that monarch. Signor Ruggiero Bonghi sums 

 up in a single volume of lectures, conceived 

 in a large fashion and in broad outlines, the 

 whole of the ancient history of the East and of 

 Greece. 



Count Terenzio Mamiani, the venerable pa- 

 triot and philosopher, has just brought out a 

 remarkable volume entitled " La Religione 

 dell' Avvenir." Count Mamiani is a Neo-Pla- 

 tonist who has studied St. Augustine and St. 

 Thomas, a poet and a dreamer, whose instincts 

 and sympathies are those of an artist, and 

 whose religion of the future is the apotheosis 

 of art-feeling. 



SPAIN. There is at present considerable lit- 

 erary activity in Spain. A work of unusual 

 value is the life of Las Casas by Don Antonio 

 Fabi6. Of the " Documentos ineditos para la 

 Historia de las Indias " twenty volumes have 

 already appeared. Several other books on the 

 history of discoveries in America have been 

 published by the Government, among them a 

 large collection of early maps ; also the reprint 

 " Tres Relaciones de Antigiiedadas Peruanas." 

 Professor Costa has written a learned and val- 

 uable essay upon the Celts in Spain. 



An astonishing amount of poetry is published 

 in Spain annually, but of little value. The 

 considerable array of novels are most of them 

 after French models. Plays and playwrights 

 abound, but most of the dramas are of an ephem- 

 eral character. Rubi, Echegaray, and Selgas 

 have produced new theatrical pieces. 



