Stephen Spender, English poet who spent a few days in Cambridge last week, thinks it a good idea for Harvard students to go to Europe. He said that any questioning of American setstandards is "a very good thing."
Spender observed that he found in America "an inability to grasp the basic problems confronting us." He cited the lack of any unified liberal reaction to the current Hollywood hearings of the Un-American Activities Committee, adding that he noticed this "complete failure of understanding" in university professors he met in this country.
No Great Novels
"The American novel of the last twenty-five years has been without doubt the most vigorous form of literary expression." Spender said, but added that neither in England nor in America could great novels be written.
"The English novel seems to be a race between about six characters to see who is most sensitive, while the American novel is a race to see who can get drunk fastest," he observed with a broad smile. He added that the American writer "is hampered by an over-abundance of material," and can do little but describe his environment.
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