POINTS

POINTS 11-12

The next issue of POINTS, a double issue noted as POINTS Nos. 11 & 12, was published in winter of 1951-1952, no monthly reference was given. The usual page count in the 90s was increased to 144 pages for this double issue. This issue is particularly important as the Brendan Behan short story, BRIDEWELL REVISITED, is an early draft of the opening chapter of Behan’s BORSTAL BOY that he would publish in 1958. The early draft contained numerous four-letter words, current editions of the work have toned down many of these and readers familiar with BORSTAL BOY will notice other subtle changes in the text. Quite a coup for Sindbad Vail and POINTS.

Commentary © James A. Harrod, COPYRIGHT PROTECTED; ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

NOTES BY THE EDITORS

It has been six months since the last number of POINTS appeared. This is regrettable, but unfortunately difficulties beyond our control prevented the magazine from being published sooner. In an effort to make up for this we have put together a double issue. It is expected that POINTS will resume its normal size and price for the Spring issue.

We have also had a change in personnel since last summer. Muriel Reed has had to resign her post of Poetry Editor. She has been connected with the magazine ever since No. 2 nearly three ago and we regret her departure, D Jon Grossman, fortunately for us, has consented to take her place. He took the job on condition that he have the sole voice in choosing poems, and that if he thought we had no poems worthy of publication at time of printing, well then there would be no poems in English. Grossman explains himself in an open letter on another page.

It is also regrettable that our Associate Editor, Michael Johnson, has felt it necessary to relinquish his title. He is still connected with the magazine in an advisory capacity and is especially helpful on the technical end.

This issue is I think very interesting. We have young writers from the U.S., France, England and Eire. We have published the best six short stories that we have seen in the past six months. It is up to the readers to decide whether or not short story writing by young authors is improving or not. As an editor I confess that I sometimes have misgivings. Frankly I sometimes hope for better things, though I honestly think that the six shorts stories in this issue are good.

The editors wish to congratulate Herb Gold on the publication of his first novel. His "Birth of a Hero" has just come out in the U.S. Unfortunately we have not received a copy in time for review. Herb Gold won our short story contest two years ago, and I believe that POINTS was the first magazine to publish his work. Gold has a book review in this number.

Let me again stress the fact that we want short stories and more short stories. We cannot receive too many. If we had eight really good ones we would publish them all in one issue. Also let me remind readers that letters are welcome and that all of interest whether derogatory or complimentary will be published.

Sindbad Vail

Among the new contributors to POINTS 11/12 Austryn Wainhouse would establish a considerable reputation as an editor at MERLIN, and as a translator of French works by the Marquis de Sade. He also worked for Maurice Girodias at Olympia Press in Paris.

CONTENTS

Sindbad VAIL – Notes by the Editors

Marcel BISIAUX – Le Grain Dur

D. Jon GROSSMAN – An Open Letter

Brendan BEHAN – Bridewell Revisited

Maurice DUGGAN – The Guardian

Yefime ZARJEVSKY – Gloria

John KING-FARLOW – Still Life With Tea

François VAULOT – Mal de dents – Geste – Effet de foule

Mosse MONTI – Par dessus la Mer et la Terre – Mer

Howard GRIFFIN – The Woman who had Crushes

David STACTON – Going Home

Philippe MARC – Le Président du Conseil

Adrian VINCENT – The Last Betrayal

Tom FURLONG – The Cross on the Mountain

Annie BOLLARD – Conducteur

Georges ASTRES – Les Romanciers Américains

D. Jon GROSSMAN – A Few Thousand Battered Books

Jared SHLAES – The Sucker and the Saint

Austryn WAINHOUSE – A Catalogue of Zeros and the Period of Sorrow

Herb GOLD – Book Review: Point of Honor

George Mac KAY – Book Review: The Poetry of Ezra Pound

Austryn WAINHOUSE – Book Review: Thomas Mann

Sindbad VAIL – Book Review: The End of the Affair

Michael JOHNSON – Book Review: The Disenchanted

D. Jon GROSSMAN – Book Review: The Selected Writings of Henri Michaux

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

NOTES ON NEW CONTRIBUTORS

ASTRES, George: French. Writes articles and reviews for many French magazines and newspapers, including CRITIQUE, ACTION, and L'AGE NOUVEAU.

BOLLARD, Annie: 28, French. Has contributed to little French reviews, and is now writing for the theater.

FURLONG, Tom: 24, Irish. Now studying at the University of Dublin. First published in the university magazine and then by ENVOY.

GRIFFIN, Howard: American. Has had a book of poems published (Cry Cadence) and short stories in STORY, PRAIRIE SCHOONER and APPROACH. Has written a series of dialogues in ACCENT, THE HUDSON REVIEW and will appear in PARTISAN REVIEW.

KING-FARLOW, John: 20, English. Now studying at Oxford. Apart from university reviews, this is his first publication.

MAC KAY, George: American, born quote: " ...I came on the fringe (lunatic if you wish) of the so-called 'Lost Generation'. ...My chief interest at present is playwriting... ...am now on the staff of the STARS AND STRIPES (European Edition). I am one of those traditional rarites—a native New Yorker and have lived most of my life in New England."

MARC, Philippe: 27, French. A former history and geography professor. Now working in the National Geographic Office. Has been published in various French magazines.

MONTI, Mousse: 27, French. Worked for the BBC in London and has contributed to French and Swiss magazines.

SHLAES, Jared: 21, American, his first published text appears in this magazine while awaiting the draft.

STACTON, David: American, has had articles and poems in various little magazines in the U.S. and Canada. A long story of his is coming out in New Direction XIII. Is now working on a book and play in southern France.

VAULOT, Francois: 19, French, a student who has never been previously published.

WAINHOUSE, Austryn: 24, American. Has been published in WAKE, TIGER'S EYE, WESTERN REVIEW and COLUMBIA REVIEW. Living and writing in Paris.

ZARJEVSKY. Yefime: 30, French, deported to Buchenvald during the war. Has written for CRITIQUE, MERCURE DE FRANCE, and TEMPS MODERNES.