По эту сторону рая
Experiments in Convalescence
"Isthatdoubleentente?"
"Don’tslowmeup!Nowthere’safewof’emthatseemtohavesomeculturalbackground,someintelligenceandagooddealofliteraryfelicitybuttheyjustsimplywon’twritehonestly;they’dallclaimtherewasnopublicforgoodstuff.ThenwhythedevilisitthatWells,Conrad,Galsworthy,Shaw,Bennett,andtherestdependonAmericaforoverhalftheirsales?"
"HowdoeslittleTommylikethepoets?"
Tomwasovercome.Hedroppedhisarmsuntiltheyswunglooselybesidethechairandemittedfaintgrunts.
"I’mwritingasatireon’emnow,callingit’BostonBardsandHearstReviewers.’"
"Let’shearit,"saidAmoryeagerly.
"I’veonlygotthelastfewlinesdone."
"That’sverymodern.Let’shear’em,ifthey’refunny."
Tomproducedafoldedpaperfromhispocketandreadaloud,pausingatintervalssothatAmorycouldseethatitwasfreeverse:
"So
WalterArensberg,
AlfredKreymborg,
CarlSandburg,
LouisUntermeyer,
EuniceTietjens,
ClaraShanafelt,
JamesOppenheim,
MaxwellBodenheim,
RichardGlaenzer,
ScharmelIris,
ConradAiken,
Iplaceyournameshere
Sothatyoumaylive
Ifonlyasnames,
Sinuous,mauve-colorednames,
IntheJuvenalia
Ofmycollectededitions."
Amoryroared.
"Youwintheironpansy.I’llbuyyouamealonthearroganceofthelasttwolines."
AmorydidnotentirelyagreewithTom’ssweepingdamnationofAmericannovelistsandpoets.