OCTOBER,1946 31 -yOUaskmetodescribethemagazinesthatareappearing inEnglandtoday.Wearelivinginaperiodofpromises. Therestrictiononthepublicationofnewperiodicalshasbeen withdrawn,andwearealowedacomparativelysmalamount ofpaperforsuchmagazines.Theliteraryworldisagitatedby awholeflockofschemesfornewmagazines;somewillnever emerge,otherswillsurviveoneortwoissues,oneortwomay liveonintogoodmagazines.Values,TheCritic,FrontLine Generation,WorkDemocracy,Vision,aresomeofthetitles youmayormaynotseeonnewEnglishmagazinesinthe nearfuture. Meanwhile,therehasyetbeenlittleinthewayofnew periodicals,exceptfor Polemic (subscription16/-forsixis- sues,from5BathurstStreet,London,W.2).Thisisdescribed as"amagazineofPhilosophy,PsychologyandAesthetics," andrealydoesmaintainaveryinteligentstandardofwriting. andthoughtonsocialandphilosophicalsubjects,marred,per- haps,byadonnishpreciseness.Onthewhole,itiswelworth reading.Theonlyothernewventureofinterestthatmight bedescribedasamagazineisGeofreyGrigson's TheMint (Routledge,10/6),aboundvolumeduetoappearatlong intervals,anddevotedtomoreorlessstraightliteraryand aesthetictopics.Itsqualitycanbestbedescribedas'remote,' anditcanbelikenedtooneofthoseSamuelPalmergardens inwhichMr.Grigson'sthoughtchoosesnowadaystoforget theworldofactuality. Oftheliteraryperiodicalswhichflourishedduringthewar, mostofthewartime'littlemags'havealreadydiedawayunder thenewconditions. Horizon remains,tracinginitsprecious waythewhimsicalpersonalitiesofitseditorandhiskind. It isworthreadingasanindextotheintellectualinterestsofthe liberalandslightlymoneyed,butthequalityofitsmaterialis veryunevenandthin,rotbedofanyconsistentsignificance orrelevancebyMr.Connoly'sfearof'dulness,'whichpreventshimfrompublishingverymuchthatatemptsaserious analysisofliteratureorsociety.(Sub. $6; 6SelwynHouse, LansdowneTerace,London,W.C.1). TheAdelphi continuesasapacifistliteraryquarterly,edited byJohnMiddletonMurry.Itsattitudeisratherboundup withtheChristiancommunityphilosophy,butoccasionaly itpublishesverygoodliteraryarticlesbywriterslikeEliotand Read,and,onthewhole,itslackofrecognitionistoberegreted.(Sub.7/6,LodgeFarm,Thelnetham,viaDiss, Norfolk). NewWritinglivesonintheformofPenguinNewWrit- ing, aquarterlymiscelanypublishedbyPenguins(oneshiling anissue),andeditedbyJohnLehmann.Afewitemsfrom earlyissuesof NewWriting areusualyreproducedeachtime, andtherestofthemagazineisfiledwithstories,poems,arti- cles,theatrereviews,etc.,whichcombinetheEnglishprimnessofthe1920's(EdithSitwelisrevivedwithgreatshows ofhomage)withtheveryfrailestghostofthecultofworkingclasswritingpracticedbytheex-public-schoolauthorsof the1930's.However,itgivesafaircrosssectionoftheEnglishliteraryworld,andSpenderoccasionalycontributesgood criticalarticles. Of Now,as Iamtheeditor, Icansaylittle,exceptthat I havee'ndeavouredtopresentinaliveanduncompromising mannertheopinionsandworkofwriterswhohavealibertar- iansocialatitude.Duringthewar Now hasappearedirregularly,atverylongintervals,butfromJanuaryitwillappear asaregularmagazine,everytwomonths.GeorgeOrwel,HerbertRead,D.S.Savage,JulianSymons,AlexComfortand RoyFulerwillbeamongitsregularwriters.(Sub.$3.25per year. Now, 27RedLionStreet,London,W.C.1). TheonlyremotelyCommunistliterarymagazineisOur Time, whichpursuesa"people'sart"lineandshowsastead- g3s1hfeberètgatuiffisywayeideologicalorpoliticalissues. Thelackofpartywritershasforcedtheeditorstothrowtheir netverywide,andIdoubtifmorethanaminorityofthe contributorshavemembershipcards.Iknowthatatleastone anarchistwasinvitedtowriteandrefused.Inspiteofthis wateringdownofpropaganda,thegeneralstandardofOur Time isbanalanduninteligent. OfthepoliticalperiodicalsIgivethefolowingbriefcheck list: Tribune. FormerlytheorganoftheBevangroup.Nowsup- portstheLabourgovernmentsomewhatuncriticaly,and haslostmostofthevigourofitsearlydays.Literarysection verypoor.(222Strand,London,W.C.2.Sub., $6). Economist. Invaluableforthestudentoftheeconomicand industriallifeofBritain.Itseditorialcolumnsoftengive surprisinglysoundanalysesofpoliticalsituationsfroman independentviewpoint. SocialistLeader. I.L.P.weekly.Woollyongeneralpoliticalis- sues,butwell-documentedandgeneralysoundoncolonial maters.(Sub.10/6,318,Regent'sParkRoad,N.3). Freedom. Anarchistfortnightly.Haspresentedasoundseries ofcriticismsoftheEnglishlabourgovernmentfromarevo- lutionarystandpoint.Alsoincludesgoodforeigncommentariesandarticlesonanarchisttheory.(SpecialAmerican sub.,$1.27RedLionStreet,London,W.C.1). Forward. Glasgowsocialistweekly.Livecriticismofpolitical afairs,latelysomewhattamedowingtosupportofLabour government.(26CivicStreet,Glasgow,C.42dweekly, nosub.mentioned). PeaceNews. Pacifistweekly.Providesaconsistentlyintelli- gentcommentaryonforeignafairs.Othermaterialusualy dul,owingtolackofaunitedpoliticalattitudeinpacifist movement.(3,BlackstockRoad,LondonN.4.2dweekly nosub.mentioned). LabourResearch. GivessoundmonthlyanalysesoflabourconditionsinEngland.(LabourResearchDept.,45,Lincoln's InnFields,London.Sub.,$1). ColonialParliamentaryBuletin.Givesafullaccountofgov- ernmentstatementsonthecolonies,withofficialfigures,etc. (AfricanPressAgency,22CranleighStreet,London N.W.1.Sub.,$5). Left. Amonthlyforumofsocialistopinions.Occasionalgood articlesonforeignafairs.R.E.Fitzgerald,21,Brookside Road,EastBarnet,Hens.Sub.,5/-). Empire. Formerlygavesoundcriticismofcolonialpolicy,but latelyhasbecomedilutedbysupportofgovernment.(Fa- bianColonialBureau,11DartmouthStreet,LondonS.W.1. Sub.,6/-). Inadditiontotheabove,therearetwooficialpublications whichareextremelyusefultothestudentofEnglishaffairs. Oneisthe MinistryofLabourGazete, givinginformationon wages,analysesofstrikes,unemploymentfigures,etc.(H.M. StationeryOffice,YorkHouse,Kingsway,London,W.C.2.). ThesecondisthenewHansard,athickweeklyvolumewhich givesfullreportsofalldebatesintheHouseofCommons, togetherwithalltheinformationtransmittedinanswersto questions.Thesubscriptionis£3ayear,fromthesameaddresasthelast,buttheamountofinformationgivenmakes itwelworthwhile. TheserepresentthemostvaluablepublicationsinEngland today,butthestudentofminorpoliticalgroupsmaybeinterestedinthefolowingsectarianpapers,allofthemun- reliableandsterilisedbygroupdogmatismLabour Monthly (C.P.), SocialistCommentary (SocialistVanguardGroup formerMSI), Socialist Appeal(TrotskyistR.C.P.), Socialist Standard (SocialistPartyofGreatBritain),and TheSocialist (SocialistLabourPartyofGreatBritain). GEORGEWOODCOCK
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