Among the Literati

The readers of Bruce Lockhart’s “British Agent” and there must be legions of them (the book was a Book of the Month Club choice and a national best-seller for many months), will be interested in the English diplomat’s latest offering which Putnam will publish tomorrow under the title of “Retreat From Glory.”

“British Retreat” was Lockhart’s story of what happened to him while a member of the British diplomatic service in Russia during the war and how he was instructed by his government to negotiate with the then newly-arrived Bolshevik leaders. You will remember that after Lenin was shot by the Kaplan girl, Lockhart was arrested and nearly executed. His new book takes up his diplomatic career after this episode.

In his smooth and mannered style Lockhart writes of his experiences in Prague and Central Europe as a diplomat, a journalist and banker. Although “Retreat From Glory” is not as exciting as British Agent,” it is a much more interesting and important book. Lockhart, a keen judge of men, has written many personality sketches of leading figures in the political, social and business world of such countries as Czechoslavia, Austria, Serbia, Germany and Italy. He also has a fine perception of what is causing the turmoil in Europe today and his dispassionate analysis of conditions in these countries should prove exceedingly enlightening. Unlike so many writers who become either awed or condescending in the presence of the “great,” and he met everyone of importance from Hitler to King George, Lockhart has been able to keep his stability. He sees his personages as human beings rather than figures in the scheme of things. The result is that his characters are alive rather than mere slugs of type.

The American reading public which has shown an amazing indifference to foreign politics will find itself fascinated by Lockhart’s recital of the conflict between the Austrians and the Czechs, and the other ramifications of European politics.

HIS FIRST JEWS

Vincent Sheean, who calls himself a tramp journalist, has written a really amazing article in the current issue of the Atlantic Monthly titled “My Friend The Jew.” According to Sheean, he entered Chicago University a few years before the war and was pledged to one of the fraternities. He was very happy and had great admiration for the men in the fraternity. After living in the fraternity house for three months, a girl student took Sheehan for a walk and asked him why he had joined a Jewish fraternity. Sheean was shocked. He had never in his life known a Jew and had no idea his new friends were of that faith. How he solved his own problem and his remarks on how Jews were treated at Chicago University makes one of the most interesting articles the staid Atlantic Monthly has printed since the days of William Dean Howell.