The "Spring-Summer" issue of the Advocate proves that a literary magazine can have a function in wartime. Dedicated to Soviet writing, this number of America's oldest college literary publication presents material of interest both to the uninitiate and to those better acquainted with our ally's artistic effort.

D. Hecht's abridged translation of Timoveyev's "Soviet Classical Tradition" describes clearly the continuity within the transition experienced by Soviet literature, and gives the reader familiar only with Russian classics a basis for appreciation of contemporary Soviet effort. More detailed articles by Professors Cross and Dana on Russian literature and drama as well as J. Leyda's review of the marine engineer turned guerilla after cinema complete the issue's critical material. Many readers will find these articles unnecessarily full of unfamiliar names, but the net effect is a fine picture of the creative artistry which, under government auspices, is continuing to develop new and popular art forms.

But the issue's major contribution lies in its assembled poetry and prose, since it is here that the reader best grasps the nature of current Soviet literary achievement. Contrary to the Editor's assertion, this material cannot be judged independently of the economic and political regime which did so much to create it and the Advocate's editors, in choosing typical rather than outstanding material, have added to the political significance. Andrel Platonov's "Armour Plate," the story of a marine engineer turned guerilla after his contact with Fascist barbarity, or Vera Inber's "Fragments from a Poem on Besieged Leningrad" are frankly wartime propaganda. But like the other pieces in the issue they are not doctrinaire, but literary blocks in the structure of Russian unity and heroism. Tikhonov's poem, "The Hunter," depicts movingly a type national hero, while Mikhail Zoshchenko's "The Scarecrow" is a bitter-satire on the Nazi mentally.

Propaganda or no, the stories and poems retain literary merit, even in translation. The poetic imagery is freshly original and fragments of the descriptive prose are reminiscent of the best in earlier writings. And it is finally in demonstrating that government inspiration and the sound of guns need not throttio the development of a true literary tradition that the issue gains its main interest. We should like, after all, to say that this respect for common culture optimizes the distinction between our fascist too and our communist ally.