Calhoun School - Ink Pot Yearbook (New York, NY)

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Q 1936 INK POT 4 Marie Antoinette By STEFAN ZwE1c The subtitle of this biography is The Portrait of an Average Woman. Zweig points out to the reader that Marie Antoinette was a person very much like one of us, and it was just a matter of curious fate that she was selected to be queen during the tumultuous period of the French Revolution. Marie Antoinette possessed no outstanding characteristics, no streak of genius to set her apart from the masses. Her inward greatness was but the result of uncommon mis- fortunes. Stefan Zweig is an essentially honest biographer. He presents the facts impartially and ex- plains clearly why he interprets them in the way he does. Zweig does not idealize Marie An- toinette, become sentimental, or make her appear a heroine. He merely gives you the history, and elucidates the events and results psychologically. His style is nobleg he builds fact upon fact until a stirring climax is reached. Yet it never becomes tiresome, for he expresses himself definitely and frankly, concealing nothing that may develop character. Stefan Zweig closes the book with this sentence: My hope is that, in default of all exagger- ation, this character will arouse the sympathy and enjoy the understanding of the present, pre- cisely because she was of one Hesh with ourselves. I feel that he certainly accomplished this magnificently, for I put down the book with a deep understanding of Marie Antoinette as a person, and I felt a great sympathy for this average woman who achieved a greatness com- mensurate with her destiny just before her death. IRENE FRANK, '36 Thirteen at Dinner By AGATHA Cl-IRISTIE 'You think she would do murder? 'Poirot watched him intently. 'Bryan drew a deep breath. 'Upon my word I do. Perhaps one of these days, you'll remember my words-I know her, you see. She'd kill as easily as she'd drink her morning tea- ' She was jane Wilkinson, a famous actress. Poirot remembered Bryan's words, for a few days later Lord Edgeware, jane's eccentric husband, was found murdered in his study at Regent Gate. Poirot certainly had to use his brain in this baffling case and the result is a thrilling mystery. The story provides a very interesting murder mystery which baffles the reader, as well as the detective, until that fateful night on the way home from the party. The character of jane Wilkinson is vividly and plausibly portrayed. This and the author's attractive style serve to hold the reader's interest. ELAINE BERG, '40 Crime and Punishment By Dosrorsvsxs' This book is well known for its insight into human nature and for its psychological truths. In the author's mind crime is its own punishment, and punitive measures can never be so severe as the penalty the human soul can impose upon itself. The story is the murder committed by Raskolnikov, his punishment and atonement. SHIRLEY GREENE, '36 All Quiet On the Western Front By ERICH MARIA RIEMAROUE This is a horror-filled story about actual conditions at the front during the World VVar. The tales related by a young German soldier make one shudder to think that anyone could have had such dreadful experiences. RENEE KLEIN, 36 Fifty-three

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Q 1936 INK POT Q Once A Grand Duke By GRAND DUKE ALEXANDER or RUSSIA French Socialists were alarmed at having so many RomanofIs in Paris, but in reality there were only seventeen Russians of the Imperial Family who had had the good fortune to escape the Bolshevik purge. Among these seventeen were the Dowager Empress Marie, her two daughters, Cirand Eucchesses Olga and Xenia, and the latter's husband, Grand Duke Alexander, the author o this oo . The Russian Revolution, one of the longest in history, was begun in the reign of Nicholas I in 1812, and was successfully concluded in 1918. I do not mean to suggest that there was fighting during these hundred and more years. On the contrary, there was hardly any fighting of conse- quence until their last decade. The long revolution took place in the form of assassinating the different members of the Imperial Family, of throwing bombs at palaces, and of attempted uprisings which were always suppressed, although sometimes a good deal of blood was shed. Grand Duke Alexander has written an extremely impressive book. He gives us a fine picture of the Royal Family, and a clear notion of the political situation with all its corruption and graft. In the Foreword he says that the purpose of the book is not to give facts but to record a grand duke's progress and the personal life of the members of the Imperial Family with which he was in close contact. Mn,oREn SCHWARZ, '37. The Death of a World By M. RoMAiN ROLLAND Jean Christophe, a novel by Rolland, published over twenty years ago, is still in great demand. In The Death of a World, M. Rolland presents a study of a woman comparable to that of the man in Jean Christophe. This powerful novel deals with those post-war years which seem more and more to mark the death of a world. Annette Riviere, warm-hearted, courageous, independent, is one of his great conceptions, her advance into middle age, and the growth of her son, Marc, to manhood furnish the basic theme in this story of a disillusioned era. Annette's personal development is complicated because she has to gain a livelihood in a world of greedy financiers, Marc, violent and bitter toward the youth of the period, acquires a new attitude toward life and sex. The delightful love story of Marc and the young Russian, Assia, brings the novel to a close on a note of hope. This book, The Death of a World, will be of special interest to those who feel that the civi- lization of today, although far advanced in material ways, is still primitive and barbaric. Moments of dark despair, illuminating hope, and conflicting emotion are masterfully combined in this book, to make it interesting, instructive, and sincere. JOAN AMBERG, '38. Up from Slavery By Booxsn T. WAsHiNcrroN This is an interesting autobiography of the founder of Tuskegee Institute for Negroes. A negro himself, Mr. Washington, through education, succeeded in raising the standards of negro life. His own life exemplifies what a negro may accomplish. JUDITH FRANK, '36 Benjamin Franlelinlv Autobiography I can sav for this book that it is one of the finest I've read. I commend its frankness and utter simplicity, the unbiased and honest account of Franklin's life, the logical thinking and excellent ways of living it teaches. I was chiefly interested in the usefulness and fineness of the author's life. SHIRLEY fiKEENE, '36 Fifty-two

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Q 1936 INK POT + Francois Villon By D. B. WYNDHAM LEWIS Francois Villon, French poet, was born in Paris in 1431, of poor parentage. From first to last his life was a succession of fights, brawls, imprisonments, and banishments. He was a vaga- bond and a thief, but he remains one of the greatest poets France has produced. His chief work is his Grand Testament, which contains the famous Ballade des Dames du Temps Jadis. The influence of Villon on French poetry,.has been great, and as a master of the ballad he has had few equals. 'J' Lewis is earnest in his desire to convince the reader that the poet's misfortunes were due to circumstances rather than to deficiencies in his character. However, Mr. Lewis gives the impres- sion of being slightly prejudiced and too sympathetic toward Villon. Nevertheless, the author has taken his material and shaped it into an interesting biography. I especially recommend Franeoi: Villon for those who understand and appreciate the ballad. EI.INoRI2 PRI-:vII.I.E, '37 Son of the Middle Border By HAMIIIN GARLAND Son of the Middle Border is an absorbing autobiography. The scene is laid in the middle west in the 1860's. The author portrays those trials and tribulations of the pioneer people which he himself has suffered. MURIEL HUT, '40 Growth of the Soil By KNUT HAMSUN A pioneer was Isak, who went to no-man's land to build himself a home. It was he who with his own hands built a settlement necessary to supply his wants, independent of the rest of the world. The existence of Isak and his wife is incredible in its crudeness. It is amazing what one man with strength of will power and character can accomplish. Even though he may be ignorant of the three R's, yet he knows by the moon when to plant seed. The simple and beautiful words which are used to convey the surroundings are full of vitality. The philosophy of the author is that a person who lives and works with nature leads the most ideal life. On the other hand those who work in the industry of man lead an irregular life, amid the uncertainty of not having enough to eat at one moment and gambling away all that they make at the next. This is the most simple and beautifully written book that I have read. SHIRLEY LUBELL, '39 Lust for Life By IRVING STONE The life of Vincent Van Gogh, the famous Dutch painter, is here vividly portrayed. Al- though this fictional biography is morbid and depressing, it is well worth reading. RENIEE KLEIN, '36 So Red the Rose By STARK YOUNG Escaping from the traditional mint julep type of book, Mr. Young has excellently described post Civil War conditions in the South. The story is woven about the drastic effect of the war upon two families of the Southern aristocracy. ' RENEE KLEIN, '36 Fifty-four