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Banshee, whole no. 4, March 1944
Page 5
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Banshee * * * 5 Fanfare is super, Art, and thanks for "Alicia," which I missed on its first run. Dare we hope for more such issues. *** While Morojo is undoubtedly well able to defend her "kara lingvo" I want to make absolutely sure the criticisms of Stanley and Searles do not go unanswered, and I will tackle the task myself. First comes the base unsubstantiated accusation that Esperanto is a "lifeless skeleton." Need I mention the five million Espists? Need I point out the three organizations listed in the Winter "Guteto"? Or Rosenblum's mention of an Esperanto "She"? I am not thoroughly familiar with the history of the Esperanto movement, but my impression is that while some local organizations have died, new ones have sprung up, and international ones as well, and on the whole the language has mady fairly steady progress. If whoever made the "lifeless skeleton" crack (pardon my unreliable memory) will put forth some facts and figures, his remark may gain some strength. Then there is the amusing sequel to "Basic Facts." I got a laugh out of it, but no serious thought. So what if Esperanto is not yet spoken by the average man? I might adduce a well-known adage as to the construction of Rome. Give the language time -- indeed, considering how reluctant one may justly be expected to be to learn a language in one's spare time, Esperanto, with five million in fifty years, has done remarkably well. Once it gets in public schools (U.S. variety, Mike!) its headway should really be something to watch. I myself am a very recent convert to the tongue, and do not speak or write it really well, but I'm learning with pleasant ease, and I can read it fairly fluently. It does have faults, including some rather serious ones, but it is after all, a human invention, and compared to any natural language I know of it fills the bill (which certainly needs filling) to something sufficiently resembling perfection. *** Note for bibliophiles: having secured a copy of the deluxe Frank Papé-illustrated edition of Cabell's "Domnei," I discovered to my surprise that it contains what seems to be the Storisende text. That is, I cannot be sure without the definitive edition at hand, but this text differs from the standard edition in such ways as one would expect of the Storisende version. "Donmei," if you don't know, is, thought written by a master fantasist, not fantasy. However, it should appeal to many fapans, being a dreamlike, exquisitely written medieval romance (or at least it masquerades as such; it is possible to regard it as an allegory of the peculiar status woman in a man's world). I've recommended Cabell before; allow me to do so again: "Jurgen," "Figures of Earth," "The Silver Stallion," "The Cream of the Jest," and so on, are among the world's finest fantasies. *** "Horrible beyond conception was the change which had taken place in my best friend, Crawford Tillinghast." No, friends, that is not a passege from a satire by Tucker; it was written in sober earnest by H.P. Lovecraft. There is much as bad as that, or worse, in the new Lovecraft omnibus, "Beyond the Wall of Sleep" -- even the jacket blurb admits that some of the material is "of secondary importance." But, more important, there is also -- "A fever of the gods, a fanfare of supernal trumpets, a clash of immortal cymbals"! Friends, here are such unforgettable tales as "The White Ship," "The Quest of Iranon," "The Green
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Banshee * * * 5 Fanfare is super, Art, and thanks for "Alicia," which I missed on its first run. Dare we hope for more such issues. *** While Morojo is undoubtedly well able to defend her "kara lingvo" I want to make absolutely sure the criticisms of Stanley and Searles do not go unanswered, and I will tackle the task myself. First comes the base unsubstantiated accusation that Esperanto is a "lifeless skeleton." Need I mention the five million Espists? Need I point out the three organizations listed in the Winter "Guteto"? Or Rosenblum's mention of an Esperanto "She"? I am not thoroughly familiar with the history of the Esperanto movement, but my impression is that while some local organizations have died, new ones have sprung up, and international ones as well, and on the whole the language has mady fairly steady progress. If whoever made the "lifeless skeleton" crack (pardon my unreliable memory) will put forth some facts and figures, his remark may gain some strength. Then there is the amusing sequel to "Basic Facts." I got a laugh out of it, but no serious thought. So what if Esperanto is not yet spoken by the average man? I might adduce a well-known adage as to the construction of Rome. Give the language time -- indeed, considering how reluctant one may justly be expected to be to learn a language in one's spare time, Esperanto, with five million in fifty years, has done remarkably well. Once it gets in public schools (U.S. variety, Mike!) its headway should really be something to watch. I myself am a very recent convert to the tongue, and do not speak or write it really well, but I'm learning with pleasant ease, and I can read it fairly fluently. It does have faults, including some rather serious ones, but it is after all, a human invention, and compared to any natural language I know of it fills the bill (which certainly needs filling) to something sufficiently resembling perfection. *** Note for bibliophiles: having secured a copy of the deluxe Frank Papé-illustrated edition of Cabell's "Domnei," I discovered to my surprise that it contains what seems to be the Storisende text. That is, I cannot be sure without the definitive edition at hand, but this text differs from the standard edition in such ways as one would expect of the Storisende version. "Donmei," if you don't know, is, thought written by a master fantasist, not fantasy. However, it should appeal to many fapans, being a dreamlike, exquisitely written medieval romance (or at least it masquerades as such; it is possible to regard it as an allegory of the peculiar status woman in a man's world). I've recommended Cabell before; allow me to do so again: "Jurgen," "Figures of Earth," "The Silver Stallion," "The Cream of the Jest," and so on, are among the world's finest fantasies. *** "Horrible beyond conception was the change which had taken place in my best friend, Crawford Tillinghast." No, friends, that is not a passege from a satire by Tucker; it was written in sober earnest by H.P. Lovecraft. There is much as bad as that, or worse, in the new Lovecraft omnibus, "Beyond the Wall of Sleep" -- even the jacket blurb admits that some of the material is "of secondary importance." But, more important, there is also -- "A fever of the gods, a fanfare of supernal trumpets, a clash of immortal cymbals"! Friends, here are such unforgettable tales as "The White Ship," "The Quest of Iranon," "The Green
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