The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 102, July 1998 - April, 1999 Page: 190
559 p. : ill. (some col.), maps, ports. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
Southwestern Historical Quarterly
disillusionment of Americans with the First World War, Perry argued,
"America ... cannot save Europe. Rather, she can only lose herself."'7
The German invasion of Czechoslovakia instilled in Perry "the great-
est sorrow I have ever known." He wrote a friend, "Before Munich we all
felt that the ultimate strength and determination lay on the side of free-
dom. . . . But for the thousandth time the people have been betrayed."
His abhorrence of the Nazi attack overcame his reticence toward en-
gagement: ". .. I who hate war more than any man want to rise shoulder
to shoulder with all the men of good will on earth and crush this in-
famy." Yet, Perry recognized that "to make war in the interest of peace is
... a paradox," and it was a contradiction he never resolved.8
Perhaps prophetically, the crisis had caused him to abandon a project-
ed novel, "in which simple lives would grow and find enrichment."
"Now," he mourned, "it withers into a thing of despicable triviality ...
[Fascism] has entered my own home and clubbed my deepest aspira-
tions into powder. It makes the small goods I create a mockery."
The American entry into the war in late 1941 dashed Perry's reserva-
tions about warfare and prompted his efforts to join the military:
For several years before the United States was plunged into the war I did all
that I could both by written and spoken word to amplify our peoples' sense of
danger, to increase their awareness of the incredible losses to human enlighten-
ment and decency that the world would sustain from an Axis victory. Then the
war began and there was nothing for me to do but put up or shut up.'0
Despite his strong philosophical convictions about the necessity of de-
feating the Axis, Perry had to push back the fear of "this colossal up-
heaval in my own existence." He acknowledged being "truly frightened,"
but mainly over concern for leaving Claire: "We had ten indescribably
wonderful years together and either of us completely separated from the
other for the duration of a long war was going to be a pretty miserable
and disoriented human being." The upheaval doubtlessly threatened
the continuation of his newfound prosperity and recognition from hav-
ing authored the National Book Award winner, Hold Autumn in Your
Hand, and the secure niche for his short stories in the nation's leading
magazines since he crashed the market in 1937."
Facing up to a disagreeable condition as an alternative to retreat had
marked Perry's life since adolescence. As a child, orphaned by the deaths
"The 193o's as the Beginning of the Second Feudal Era," n.d., Works, Perry Collection.
8 Perry to Irwin Edman, Mar. 15, 1939, n.p., Letters A-Z, Perry Collection.
9 Ibid.
1o Perry, "Introduction to 'War Path'," n.d., Works, Perry Collection.
" Ibid. (quotations); Halrston, George Sesszons Perry, 31, 34.October
190
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Periodical.
Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 102, July 1998 - April, 1999, periodical, 1999; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101219/m1/233/: accessed May 3, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.