Works in an English Translation Author:Anatole France Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHILDREN'S PLAYTHINGS HAVE just had the pleasure of reading some children's tales, " La Comedie des jouets," which M. Camille Leraonnier has given us. M. Cam... more »ille Lemonnier has taken his place in the front rank of Belgian men of letters. He writes real romances in a language full of savour. He is a natural story-teller who pleases the Parisians as well as the people of Brussels. I knew from his books that he adored the various aspects of life, and that his artistic dreams have eagerly pursued the infinite forms of beings. I discover to-day that he sometimes amuses himself with children's playthings, and this taste inspires me with new sympathies for him. I am his well-wisher because of his poetic interpretations of playthings, and also because he possesses the mystic sense. Without the smallest effort he is able to give life and animation to his Jumping Jacks and his Punches. He reveals the spiritual nature of Father Christmas, who reappears every year covered with frost in the grocer's shop. At the breath of his thought a forest, which really consists of only six trees painted green, with chips for foliage, stretches forth every night out of its deal box, and becomes a haunt of shadow, mystery, and terror. " La Comedie des jouets." By Camille Lemonnier. That is what pleases and touches me. For, like him, I practise the fetichism of lead soldiers, Noah's arks, and wooden sheepfolds. Think of it, this fetichism is the last that is left us. When humanity felt itself young, it gave souls to all things. That charming faith departed little by little, and to-day our modern thinkers no longer perceive souls in this disenchanted universe. At least M. Camille Lemon- nier and I have a profound belief left us: we believe in the souls of toys. For my own part, I do not hesitate to f...« less