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THE AMERICA N-SCA NDINA VI AN REVIEW 
royal theatres, whose most 
versatile and distinguished 
male actor he is. He has 
played and still plays chiefly 
in the role of the lover and 
hero. He has interpreted 
many of the leading char¬ 
acters in Strindberg’s his¬ 
torical dramas. His virile 
Northern Hamlet, his fresh 
young Henry in Henry IV, 
his Creon in Sophocles’ 
Antigone, and his Every¬ 
man in Hofmannsthal’s pas¬ 
sion play belong to his rep¬ 
ertoire as well as Karl 
Hinke in the commonplace 
but popular German play 
Alt Heidelberg or his hu¬ 
morous characters as in 
Holberg’s Erasmus Mon¬ 
tanas, or Captain Bluntschi 
in Shaw’s Arms and the 
Man. In the latter and 
similar roles he has won 
some of his greatest tri¬ 
umphs from a popular viewpoint though they may not be the most im¬ 
portant artistically. The truth is that He Wahl is nothing if not indi¬ 
vidualistic and temperamental. He infuses his own fiery spirit into 
everything he does and often gives far more than the part actually con¬ 
tains more sometimes than the dramatic framework of the play can 
bear. Critics have occasionally found fault with him for a certain 
lack of harmony and a failure to lose himself humbly in the creation 
of the poet as demanded by a more disciplined scenic art; but on the 
other hand De Wahl’s flaming enthusiasm finds the more response in 
kindred hearts. In our age, which is so lacking in temperament and 
prodigality, it is a joy to find some one who is not afraid to give lav¬ 
ishly without stint or measure. 
A very important phase of De Wahl’s work has been to interpret 
the treasures of Swedish lyric poetry in wide circles. He is a reader 
of rank, and has arranged poetry evenings throughout the country, at 
which he has resurrected forgotten Swedish classics or introduced yet 
unknown young poets by means of his programmes. 
Anders De Wahl, the Swedish Actor Who Has 
Just Been Visiting America 
