Page:Poet Lore, volume 4, 1892.djvu/18

 pal works, only a few of which we can touch more specifically in this article.

Arbes’s art of writing is peculiar to himself. His invention is romantic, while the story itself is told in a most realistic manner, the author tracing not only the deeds but also the thoughts of his heroes to their very roots, giving the minutest details. You notice how events seemingly insignificant leave their impressions in the mind of the person, how by a slow process his character is shaped, and how all his actions grow out of his character. You may analyze the action most scrupulously, you will find that the person in question could not act otherwise. The story is always interesting, oftentimes taken from the author’s neighborhood, and directly touching some prominent, often sad and gloomy, feature of modern life, whether it be the life of an individual, a nation, or society at large. While the fundamental idea is regularly simple and the plot not complicated, the reader is often surprised by the easy solution of mysterious physical, physiological, and psychological problems in a natural way. The progress of the story is extremely logical, reaching the boundaries of mere probability. The characters are different from every-day types, they are men of firm and independent opinions, energetically pursuing their aims, whether good or bad; they are strong minds, deep thinkers, and masters of their feelings and passions; they despise the well-trodden paths of the commonplace.

A feature among his works are novels and studies from the life of artists—e.g., ‘The Bohemian Paganini’ and ‘Il divino Boemo,’ stories of two talented Bohemian musicians; ‘From the Mental Workshop of Poets;’ ‘In the Service of Arts,’ and numerous smaller works.

We cannot enter upon a minute consideration of any of his productions, but we give here, in few words only, rough contours of some of his novels, so as to convey some idea of what the books deal with.

‘Moderní upíři’ (Modern Vampires) is a story of two young men bred up in the cold atmosphere of modern thought. They are speculators and complete egotists. ‘Mravokárné Románky’