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PREFACE

Blind published by POET LORE in 1893. It was accompanied by a critique, the title of which is strikingly significant of its priority, "Maurice Maeterlinck: Dramatist of a New Period." Further works of this dramatist which appeared in 1904-5 were The Seven Princesses, Pelleas and Melisande, and Alladine and Palomides. During the latter year an appreciation of the genius of Robert Bridges was printed.

In the Fall of 1896, in order that certain subjects might be handled more completely in a single issue, the style was changed to a quarterly, under the title of POET LORE, A Quarterly Magazine of Letters, and remained as such until 1909. The editors perceiving that Sudermann was to win fame in this country, gave English readers their first glimpse of him in that little masterpiece, Teja from his Morituri. Hauptmann's Sunken Bell published in 1898 was the first translation of any of this dramatist's works into the English language. The work of Selma Lagerlof whose name even now, after she has won the Nobel prize, is unfamiliar to all except pioneer readers, was published in 1899. In 1900 Echegaray, the great Spanish dramatist, who in 1904 shared the Nobel prize with Mistral, as we have already stated, was well known to the readers of POET LORE.

The magazine appreciated the unusual genius of Brieux in 1903, although the general educated public of this country did not learn of him until about two years ago. The publication of plays by Synge and Hyde in 1905, proved POET LORE to be the first among the pioneers in recognizing the real significance of the new Irish literary drama. Schnitzler's first works in English appeared in its pages during 1906.

The following year was one of particular note as during this period Andreyev was first made known to America. D'Annunzio's noblest play, The Daughter of Joria appeared and the first English translation of any of Bracco's plays, Hidden Spring was published in an authorized version. This writer's Phantasms immediately followed. In order to keep abreast with the great European Dramatic movement, POET LORE in 1909 increased the number of issues published yearly, and appeared as a bi-monthly, thus giving its subscribers practically 50 per cent more reading matter. It continued the policy established some years previous in giving as the principal feature of each issue a first English translation of some notable foreign play.

For the next few years up to the closing of the period covered