In Quest of Strindberg: Letters to a Seeker ed. by Anthony Swerling (review)

334 BOOK REVIEWS incidentally, adds materially to the understanding and appreciation of his major achievements, especially since the volume of letters so neatly complements the volume of plays and prefaces. ERIC SALMON University of Saskatchewan (Regina) IN QUEST OF STRINDBERG: LETTERS TO A SEEKER, edited by Anthony Swerling. Cambridge: Trinity Lane Press, 1971. 229 pp. £7.50. The letters Mr. Swerling received from French and other writers, critics, theater people, and scholars in response to his questions about Strindberg and his influence on French drama and theater should interest anyone who has conscientiously or otherwise replied to questionnaires. Since probably most of the readers of this journal have done so and some have even indulged in sending questionnaires to others, there should be a substantial number of readers who might very well take a look at this volume. They will find it decidedly human. Mr. Swerling's major questions concerned the recipient's knowledge of Strindberg, his attitude toward Strindberg, his assessment of the extent of Strindbergian influence in France, and, if applicable, his estimate of his own debt to Strindberg. They are an interesting set of questions the answers to which must have furnished Mr. Swerling with useful leads, hints, warnings, and suggestions in writing Strindberg's Impact in France, 1920-1960. The creative writers are, as a rule, reluctant about admitting influence, although a few point out that the scholar is in a far better position to determine the nature and the extent of the influence they may have come under as a result of seeing a Strindberg play or two or reading a handful of Strindberg's works. The testimony ranges from Je m'excuse mais je n'ai rien lu de Strindberg et je n'ai meme pas Ia curiosite de Ie lire. rai, jadis, jete un coup d'oeil. rai et6 aussitot repousse. C'est vraiment l'auteur qui m'a Ie moins touche. (Jean Giono, p. 101). to a thoughtful letter that begins Vous avez choisi une these particulierement difficile: Strindberg en France. La place de Strindberg en France est considerable. (p. 139). and continues with decidedly helpful hints and ends with a postscript calling Mr. Swerling's attention to lolivet's Le Theatre de Strindberg. Few, if any, of us will ever enjoy the lUxury of publishing such letters in an attractive, beautifully printed and bound volume, but it is comforting and informative to have this one. Letters have a way of revealing a writer's personality and prejudices, knowledge and ignorance, so most of these letters make good reading. WALTER JOHNSON University of Washington ...