The Twayne Cunninghame Graham

260 realize there is no second "e" in Trel awny in Pinero's Trelawny £f_ the "Well s". If I appear to have castigated Salmon harshly it is because an academic of his experience should know better. Wild claims, together with uncritical and unanalytical exuberance, are no substitute for the genuine article. Nor should sloppy editing pass unnoticed. While there is good material here, the whole should have been ruthlessly revised and edited before being allowed finally to go to press. J. P. Weari ng University of Arizona 7. THE TWAYNE CUNNINGHAME GRAHAM Cedric Watts. FU B_^ Cunninghame Graham. Boston: Twayne, 1983. $18.95 Although the small number of Cunninghame Graham devotees might hesitate to use words like boom, there is no doubt that there is a growing interest in the life and works of Robert Bontine Cunninghame Graham (1852-1936). The fact that in the last five years there have been three critical books (life and works), at least five anthologies of Graham's works, some of them containing critical introductions, several articles, with a great deal of work still in progress, would seem to indicate that Graham, if not exactly coming into his own, is at least being appreciated by a growing number of scholars and enjoyed by a new reading public. Graham, of course, is not a writer of the first rank, as was claimed rashly by some of his compatriots at the time of his death in 1936 when he had formed a sentimental liaison with Scottish Nationalism. Nor is he the amateur writer of genius, as contemporaries like Frank Harris and Morley Roberts wellmeaningly labelled him. Though not as well known or esteemed as intimates and acquaintances like Conrad, Hudson, Shaw and the like, Graham has made an important contribution to English (and Scottish) literature not only for his impressionistic sketches but also for his unique and unorthodox histories (especially of Latin America) and biographies (of Spanish conquistadores and his Graham predecessor immortalised in verse as "Doughty Deeds"), but also for his fascinating travel books (like Mogreb-el-Acksa, whose North African adventures became the basis of Shaw's Captain Brassbound's Conversion). It is in the light of Graham's varied contribution to literature that Cedric Watts has written his volume in the Twayne's English Authors Series. I think it should be pointed out at the outset that any self-respecting critic ought to be aware of the objectives, as well as the restrictions and limitations, of the Twayne format. Only with this in mind can one give a fair assessment of this volume. The TLS reviewer (30 September 1983), comparing the book to Cunni nghame Graham: A_ Cri ti cal Biography by Watts and Laurence Davies, considers it di sappointing, Tittle realizing 261 that they are different creatures conceived for different audiences. However, coming so closely as it does on the heels of the Critical Bi ography, the Twayne volume runs the risk of being compared--unfai My--with the solid, scholarly work of 1979. Chapter One ("Biographical") is good for situating Graham and linking him with his literary and political contemporaries. It is no wonder that until recently Graham the man, even the "character," was of much more interest than the writer. His multifaceted career as horseman, laird, politician, and cosmopolitan traveller has fascinated many — and continues to do so. The complete story of his life and his marriage to the mysterious Gabriela has not yet been fully told. The man is full of paradoxes. Despite his love of horses and his anticruelty , his ant i-imperial ism and anti-war stance, he became involved in World War I recruiting horses in South America for the battlefields of Europe. Despite his disillusionment with politics and especially the Liberals after his 1886-1892 stint in Parliament, he stood again as a Liberal--unsuccessful Iy — i η the 1918 election. Notwithstanding his vituperative scorn poured on the triple-headed monster, Commerce/ Progress/Ci vi 1isation, all his travels in North Africa, South America, Mexico, and elsewhere saw him involved in (unsuccessful) money-making schemes. Given the Twayne format, it is not surprising that Chapters Two to Six, inclusive of "Earliest Writings," "The Histories," "Tales...