BOOKS

Second book adds lustre to
Wallace's reputation as poet

First copies of All My Brothers, a new book of
poems by J. S. Wallace, whose work ranks him
’ among the greatest of Canadian poets, will be on
sale at the Book Festival to be held in Pender
Auditorium here this Friday and Saturday, Novem-
ber 27-28, it is announced by the People’s Cooper-
ative Bookstore, sponsor of the festival.

HAVE known Joe Wallace for

some years now, but had never
heard him talk much about his
own life. So it was a treat to be
able to sit down and ask him
those rather impertinent ques-
tions which would help me to un-
derstand a little how he came to
be what he is.

Before we began to talk he
read me his latest work, a long
and very inspiring poem on Nor-
man Bethune. As hej read I
thought of the great subjects Joe
has chosen for his poetry, and I
compared him with the timid
writers who can only look at
themselves.

{ was interested to know how
he came to be a socialist, and
how he came to write poetry. -

“My father,” he said, “was
something of a rebel; he sympath-
ized with the Boers in the war of
1899; and both he and my mother
were entirely without race preju-
dice.”

I asked him if he could remem-
ber any experience which pushed
him towards socialism.

“Yes,” he said, “but not an ex-
perience of my own; it was some-
thing I observed and felt very
keenly.

“When I was in my teens some
friends of mine, whe were every
bit as decent and intelligent as
myself, got into trouble (as I did),
and because of the miserable
poverty of their slum homes, they
sank lower and lower. That was
a real tragedy, and it opened my
eyes. I knew those boys hadn’t a
fair chance.”

x * x

I ASKED him whether the
_drive to. socialism and his growth
-as a poet had gone together as
one movement, or whether they
were separate.

“You know,” he said, “my early
associates, after I grew up, were
a pretty respectable bunch, mid-
dle class people. We were Lib-
erals, and I was looked upon as
a premising parliamentarian. But

somehow I found it hard to talk -

with them. If, at a political meet-
_ ing where I had made a speech,
a worker got up and challenged
me, I always understood him. In
fact, whenever I came in contact
with workers, I understood them
right away.

“Tn 1917 when the papers were
beginning to talk about Lenin, I
thought (That man is going to
make trouble for us), I was still
on the other side, but I could not

-shut my eyes. And very soon I
understood the revolution and
knew that I was for it.

“fT was doing pretty well, high
up in an advertising firm, and
what was I to do? Socialist-mind-
ed business or professional men
like me have no unions to protect
them; it is hard for them to come
out in their true colors. But they
can, if they wish, leave their class
and become workers, and that is
what I did.

“Looking back at these asso-
ciates in the business world, I
could say: “Come on in, the
water’s fine!’ and fine it is for a
poet. There are so many subjects
those others cannot touch as long
as they close their eyes to what
is going on. But we,” and Joe’s
face lit up, “we have the most
glorious and thrilling themes,
and we must write better because

J. S. WALLACE

we have better things to say.
Never think it is enough to have
great themes; we must perfect
our craft in order to express
these themes in the best way
possible.”

« * -

HAD HE learnt much from
other poets?

“Not the moderns,” he replied.
“Most of them have stopped talk-
ing to the people; they just talk
to each other. They try to hide
their nakedness in  obscurant-
ism. They have never grown up.
How can you grow up if you run
away from the world? Of course
there is Aaron Kramer, he’s dif-
ferent.

“The pity is that so many peo-
ple, listening to these modern
poets, think poetry has to be like

BALLET DRAWS 23,000

All My Brothers, has just been published by
New Frontiers, Canadian literary magazine, and of
the first limited edition, 500 copies are being donat-
ed by the author to assist the magazine.
Margaret Fairley, editor of New Frontiers, relates
her interview with Wallace,

Here,

that. This is a great blow to the
people, robbing them of what
should be theirs,

“Actually the people, without
knowing it, are talking poetry all
the time. I listen to their talk,
and use their phrases in my poet-
ry.

“Tt is because I have been able
to write freely, without fear, that
I have come near to people, and
it is because I am near them that
I can write truly.

7 * *

OUR TALK seemed to have
given Joe a bird’s eye view of his
life, and he suddenly said: “I
have had the happiest life, and
now, when I should perhaps be
slowing down; I have the most
joyful optimism. I understand
people, and see the good:in them;
I feel physically well and I am
confident in the future. I know
my education has been narrow,
but one thing I am grateful for”
. .. he spoke with great emphasis
... “It is all wrong for a man to
do nothing but physical work, all
wrong for him to do nothing but
mental work; and my life has
been a mixture; I have done
plenty of both, and that is good.”

Joe’s joyful confidence in the
future was with me as I left him,
It wasn’t just his words, but his
whole manner and his strong

voice and gestures which convey-
ed it, and which must be imagin-

ed by those who have not heard
him talk.

—MARGARET FAIRLEY

ATTENDANCE

Ee Re

A PASSIONATE criticism of
films and “comics” glorifying
violence was made in London
last week by Sergei Obraztsov,
art director of the Moscow pup-
pet theatre.

Less ‘than 48 hours after his
arrival, Obraztsov, a member
of the Soviet delegation now
visiting Britain for the Month
of British-Soviet Friendship,

inspected a London bookstall.

“We don’t impose our views
on anyone,” he told a press
conference.

“But in the cinema last night,
watching an American cowboy
film, there were far too many
children. They should have
been in bed.

“On a bookstall I saw these

Among the many distinguished figures in 4
and sciences who welcomed the Sovief cultural delegati
Dr. Hewlett Johnson, Dean of Canterbury (above).

Crime comics, movies
shock Soviet delegates

visited a London theatre and -

the British arts
on was

‘comics.’ On one page there
were five murders. We
“We don’t impose our view
on anyone—but if such a bi

appeared in our bookshops;
would be treated as 2 sae
“It destroys the soul of
human being.”
* * *

GEORGI Alexandrov,
ducer of Glinka, now show
in London’s West End, ae
facts about recent eve
ments in Soviet televisio®.

His figures showed that O
Soviet engineer, earning ‘ales
average rate, can buy @ two
vision set, with less than
weeks’ wages.

“We have reason to P
that in the near future 4
television will be colore®

said. oe

elievé
1 our
» he

Sadler's Wells company delights
city audiences with Swan Lake

VANCOUVER HAD its first
opportunity to see the full four
acts of Swan Lake last week when
the Sadler’s Wells ballet com-
pany came to town, and 23,000
attended performances of this
and other ballets.

Swan Lake, one of the few sur-
viving Romantic ballets was first
produced in Moscow in 1895 and
today, 58 years later, is still be-
ing danced on the same stage.

Before the curtain rosé, Tchai-
kowsky’s dreamy music, often
based on Russian folk songs, set
the fairy tale atmosphere.

The first act was weakest, be-
ing little more than a prologue
and rather overweighted with
mime. The second and third acts
were the most interesting and
exciting, having a variety of
dances for the corps de ballet, of
which the Czardas and the Nea-
politan dance were outstanding.

Also these acts require from
a leading ballerina a Jeckyll and
Hyde portrayal. In the second
act she must be tender and lov-
ing while in the third she must
convey her evilness to the audi-
ence.

This role is taken by three bal-
lerinas in the company, Nadia

Nerina, Margot
Rowena Jackson.
- Nadia Nerina, a young and
beautiful dancer, gave a satisfy-
ing performance both emotional-
ly and technically. The much
publicized 32 fouettes (turns on
one leg) were perfectly! executed
and did not become, as so often
happens, a mere technical feat,
but were an integral part of the
ballet as the girl strives to dazzle
the prince.

Fonteyn and

Margot Fonteyn’s performance
in the duel role was a deeply
moving one which will remain in
the memory of Vancouver bal-
letomanes for a long time. She
was exquisite in her portrayal
of gentle Odette, the lovely en-
chanted swan princess who even
in her brief hours of release from
the magician’s spell when she as-
sumes the form of a human be-
ing, retains the qualities of a
swan, graceful and timid, bird-
like in every movement of her
arms, legs and head.

The part of Odile, the wicked
daughter of the magician, again
requires technical perfection. But
above all it requires a fine artist
who through her movements alone
can convince the audience of the
evil and destructive nature of

Odile. And again, in this role
Margot Fonteyn was superb.

Friday and Saturday matinees
consisted of three separate bal-
lets: Les Patineurs, Don Juan and
the third act from The Sleeping
Beauty, Although technically all
three productions were excellent
they lacked the warmth and the
emotional impact of Swan Lake.

Les Patineurs consists of a
series of dances not tied together
by any plot. The scene is a win-
ter day with young people skat-
ing gaily on a frozen lake. The
effect of a cold day, snow and
the smooth gliding movements of
the skaters on hard ice was ach-
ieved very successfully.

Don Juan is an example of de-
cadence so often hailed by the
lonely inhabitants of ivory tow-
ers. The familiar theme of the
immortal lover Don Juan danced
to the pretentious music of Rich-
ard Strauss is neither convincing
nor impressive,

The third act of The Sleeping
Beauty has long been a favorite
of both young and old. Its page-
antry, the fairy-story characters
who come to life to the lovely
music of Tchaikowsky, the color-
ful costumes and the gay, happy
atmosphere of the wedding make
this delightful entertainment.

,

N a
MARGOT FonTeY
pack

PACIFIC TRIBUNE — NOVEMBER 27, 1999 —