"It is a painful thing for a poet to have to write in a language restricted to a small area; and it is the bounden duty of the lover of literature to bring what is excellent in the literature of other lands within the reach of his own countrymen. Among these excellent works Vosmaer's 'Amazon' must unquestionably be reckoned. It introduces us to those whom we cannot fail to consider an acquisition to our circle of acquaintances. It permits us to be present at conversations which--and not least when they provoke dissent--stimulate our minds to reflection. No one who listens to them can depart without having gained something; for Vosmaer's novel is rich in subtle observations and shrewd remarks, in profound thoughts and beautifully-conceived situations." Extract from Georg Ebers' Preface to the German Edition.
FRIDOLIN'S MYSTICAL MARRIAGE.--A Study of an Original, founded on Reminiscences of a Friend, by Adolf Wilbrandt, from the German by Clara Bell. One vol. Paper, 50 cts. Cloth, 90 cts.
"One of the most entertaining of the recent translations of German fiction is 'Fridolin's Mystical Marriage,' by Adolf Wilbrandt. The author calls it 'a study of an original, founded on reminiscences of a friend,' and one may easily believe that the whimsical, fascinating, brilliant heir must have been drawn more largely from life than fancy. He is a professor of art, who remains single up to his fortieth year because he is, he explains to a friend 'secretly married.' 'When you consider all the men of your acquaintance,' he says, 'does it strike you that every man is thoroughly manly and every woman thoroughly womanly? Or, on the contrary, do you not find singular deviations and exceptions to the normal type? If we place all the men on earth in a series, sorting them by the shades of difference in their natural dispositions, from the North Pole, so to speak, of stalwart manliness to the South Pole of perfect womanhood, and if you then cast a piercing glance into their souls, you would perceive ... beings with masculine intellect and womanly feelings, or womanly gifts and masculine character.' The idea is very cleverly worked out that in these divided souls marriage is possible only between the two natures, and that whenever one of the unfortunates given this mixed nature, cannot contract an outward alliance. How the events of the story overthrow this ingenious theory need not be told here, but the reader will find entertainment in discovery for himself."--Courier, Boston.
"A quaint, dry and highly diverting humor pervades the book, and the characters are sketched with great force and are admirably contrasted. The unceasing animation of the narrative, the crispness of the conversations, and the constant movement of the plot hold the interest of the reader in pleasant attention throughout. It provides very bright and unfatiguing reading for a dull summer day."--Gazette, Boston.
"The scenes which are colored by the art atmosphere of the studio of Fridolin, a professor of art and the principal character, are full of pure humor, through the action and situations that the theory brings about. But no point anywhere for effective humor is neglected. It runs through the story, or comedy, from beginning to end, appearing in every available spot. And the characterization is evenly strong. It is an uncommonly clever work in its line, and will be deliciously enjoyed by the best readers." Globe, Boston.
CLYTIA.--A Romance of the Sixteenth Century, by George Taylor, from the German by Mary J. Safford, in one vol. Paper, 50 cts. Cloth, 90 cts.
"If report may be trusted 'George Taylor,' though writing in German, is an Englishman by race, and not merely by the assumption of a pseudonym. The statement is countenanced by the general physiognomy of his novels, which manifest the artistic qualities in which German fiction, when extending beyond the limits of a short story, is usually deficient. 'Antinous' was a remarkable book; 'Clytia' displays the same talent, and is, for obvious reasons, much better adapted for general circulation. Notwithstanding its classical title, it is a romance of the post-Lutheran Reformation in the second half of the sixteenth century. The scene is laid in the Palatinate; the hero, Paul Laurenzano, is, like John Inglesant, the pupil, but, unlike John Inglesant, the proselyte and emissary, of the Jesuits, who send him to do mischief in the disguise of a Protestant clergyman. He becomes confessor to a sisterhood of reformed nuns, as yet imperfectly detached from the old religion, and forms the purpose of reconverting them. During the process, however, he falls in love with one of their number, the beautiful Clytia, the original, Mr. Taylor will have it, of the lovely bust in whose genuineness he will not let us believe. Clytia, as is but reasonable, is a match for Loyola; the man in Laurenzano overpowers the priest, and, after much agitation of various kinds, the story concludes with his marriage. It is an excellent novel from every point of view, and, like 'Antinous' gives evidence of superior culture and thoughtfulness."--The London Saturday Review.
William S, Gottsberger, Publisher, New York.