LITERATURE, CONTINENTAL, IN 1891. 



id Roster, a few pieces of Gorton (rather hard 

 IK nndeiMoodi, mid Van Kden's " Kllen," very 

 1. iini beautiful. Critics protest against what 

 . uMirc as a prevalence of morbid f relinks 

 writers of the day. In the departments 

 philosophy and theology we have no record of 

 ew publications this year. This was also the 

 in isiii) ;ni(l tin 1 outlook is not encouraging, 

 ,i> Hutch scholarship is concerned. 

 may IHTC l;e noted, viz., Mr. do Veer and 

 -.idise, both of excellent repute in letters. 

 Italy. They who are in position to be best 

 informed say regretfully, as the sober truth, 

 that a si at i- of unusual languor pervades literary 

 life in Italy at the present time. The reading 

 public is very small, and, as foreign rather than 

 native books are read by the people, naturally 

 authors have small inducement to ply their vo- 

 cation. Some intellectual activity, of course, 

 ere is, but the critics declare that this is mostly 

 voted to H minute analysis in physical, histon- 

 , and philological science, ana that there is no 

 thesis or adequate comprehensible result of 

 these researches. We give accordingly the 

 count in our power of the year's produc- 

 ion. In poetry, if we may credit Eugenia Levi, 

 in a pleasant book published in Florence recently 

 entitled "Among our Living Poets," there are 

 worthy of note (along with much of mediocre 

 character) the productions of three ladies, viz., 

 Brunamonti, Countess Lara, and Giarre Billi, 

 and among gentlemen the publications of Neuci- 

 oni, Graf, Mazzoni, Fogazzaro, and a few others. 

 Dialect poetry also has two or three good repre- 

 sentatives. Signor Carducci has published one 

 e\v poem this year, entitled " Piedmont." It 

 marked by lofty style and a glowing strain of 

 ought. It is monarchical in its spirit, and re- 

 unts the part taken by Piedjnont in the re- 

 cence of Italy. The names o'f several others 

 given as worthy of mention, viz., Guido Maz- 

 ni, Giovanni Marradi, Guido Monasci, G. Tar- 

 :oni, Tozzctti, and Camillo Checchucci. A 

 slation from the Sanskrit of a short love 

 poem, " Me<jhadi1ta," has been made by G. Morici, 

 hich is said to be excellently worked out. In 

 e way of novels and romances not much has 

 en accomplished. A. G. Barrili, a prolific 

 writer, has published two novels, " Amori An- 

 tichi " and " Rosa di Gerico." Salvatore Fa- 

 rina, a good writer in past years, has brought out 

 "Piu Forto dell* Amore" and "Vivere per 

 Amare," which are rather sharply criticised. It 

 will suffice to give the names of some others 

 out of a large number who have achieved mod- 

 irate success, such as A. S. Novaro, Onorata 

 ""ava, Bruno Sperani, G. Verga, and A. Giaco- 

 nielli. A young novelist, De Kobcrti, is rather 

 anxious to rival Zola in the Frenchman's 

 abominations, but Zola is as yet far ahead. G. 

 d'Anminzio. in his last, two novels, imitates Rus- 

 sian ones, and has been scolded therefor. Annie 

 ivanti (named last year as a poetess, intro- 

 uced by Signor Carducci) has written a novel, 

 Marion, Artiste di Caffe-Concerto." The crit- 

 ics censure the book as a representation of low 

 life badly set forth. In Italian dramatic litera- 

 ture poverty largely prevails. There are some 

 signs of improvement. Camillo Antona Tra- 

 versi. a very fertile writer, has furnished a com- 

 edy, "Tordi e Fringuelli," which is said to be 



merry and brink, one of his best. Mario Praga, 

 son of a poet, aims higher in his two dramas, 

 " La Mo^he Ideale " mid " Le Vergini," and ban 

 met with g.od success. Gcrolamo Knvctta, in 

 his "Marco Spada," has gained equal success. 

 Alejandro d'Ancona has issued two large vol- 

 umes 011 til* "Origin! del 'IVatro Italiano." It 

 is a work of real merit. Historical wiences have 

 yielded almost no fruit of late. There are nu- 

 merous workers, but they furnish very little for 

 the press. All we can name now are Ferrai's 

 "Lorenzino dei Medici e la Societa Cortigiana 

 del ( inquecento," T. Masserani's "Cesare C'or- 

 renti," I). Mantovani's "Lcttcre Provinciali," 

 and Luigi Rasi's "Libro degli Aneddoti." These 

 two latter are said to treat pleasingly many and 

 various literary and artistic questions. In other 

 departments of history and in philosophy and 

 religion we have nothing of moment for this 

 year's record. 

 Norway. Critical observers affirm that at 



S resent there is " a superfluity of scribblers " in 

 orway. Perhaps the dictum is too severe ; yet, 

 as far as the record goes, there is more of truth 

 than poetry in it. We give the best account we 

 can, under the circumstances, by judicious selec- 

 tion. Ilenrik Ibsen (who produced nothing last 

 year in dramatic literature) has created a great 

 sensation in London as well as Christiania, by his 

 " Iledda Gabler." It carries the mark of genius 

 with it, and has a sort of antique beauty, a fefit- 

 ure, by the way, not seldom lost sight of by Ib- 

 sen, and a sort of culture in which he plainly 

 takes delight. Along with his supposed nat- 

 uralism, there is found to be a kernel emphati- 

 cally idealistic. Like an inspired prophet, he 

 continually is foretelling the advent of a new 

 social gospel. Jakob Bull stands in marked con- 

 trast to Ibsen. His drama " Uden Ansvar"is 

 meant to controvert Ibsen's theory as to he- 

 redity. The critics praise it heartily. Three 

 of the gentler sex have tried their hands in 

 this kind of literature, and have failed of suc- 

 cess. Their names are Laura Kieler, Asta Gruah, 

 and Vetlie Vislie. Jonas Lie's new Christmas 

 story, " Onde Magter," is attractive and pleasant. 

 This is more than can be said of A. Kielland's 

 "Jakob," which is complained of as having too 

 much of the satirist and polemic in it. Madame 

 Amiilie Skram, in her romance " S. G. Myre," 

 gains but a modicum of praise, while her supe- 

 rior ability is fully acknowledged. Among nov- 

 els of the year, Knut Hamsum's "Suit" is said 

 to be a remarkable contribution to the physiol- 

 ogy and psychology of hunger. The critics call 

 it " an interesting phenomenon," despite its de- 

 fects. Arne Garborg's contribution this year, 

 " Kolbotnbrev og andre Skildringar," is a species 

 of autobiography, and is much praised by the 

 critics. Jakob IHIditsch's new collection of short 

 stories is very good, as are also K. Janson's and 

 R. Johnsen's" similar collections. Both C. Flood 

 and J. W. Flood have issued fresh series of sea 

 stories. Dr. Oscar Tybring has brought out a 

 very prettv book, " Smaa Historier og Erindrin- 

 ger!" Sofus Aars's "Skovinteriorer, Naturskil- 

 dringer " is excellent in picturing the chase and 

 animal life; as is also the painter Kittclsen's 

 "Fra Lofoten," with illustrations. Among 



Joung writers may be named Erik Lie, son of 

 onas Lie, Arne Dybfcst, and Gabriel Finnc. 



