Readers and Writers (1917-1921)

The volume brings together a series of weekly literary essays penned between 1917 and 1921, when the world was still reshaped by war and upheaval. Written with the same rigor that one might apply to political commentary, the writer treats each new book, essay, or cultural shift as a moment worth careful judgment. The prose reflects a confidence that the perfect English style is still to be written, and the essays aim to steer readers toward that future.

Across its pages the reader encounters lively examinations of figures such as Henry James, Ezra Pound, and Turgenev, as well as broader surveys of trends like anti‑Puritanism, the role of the press, and the impact of psycho‑analysis on literature. The tone is at once conversational and demanding, refusing to settle for polite applause and instead calling for a harsher, more honest criticism. For anyone interested in the intellectual climate of the immediate post‑war years, the collection offers a vivid snapshot of the debates that shaped modern English letters.