YOUNG ART AND OLD HECTOR

Noil Gunn has had an erratic career and never won the recognition his unique power deserves. He's not everyman's mont -- but for these who enjoy the slightly oy quality, the intangible charm of his writing, there should be at least some portion of the Nathan market. This is the story of eight-year-old Art and almost eighty-year-old Ktor and it takes place in a small Scottish village which is all the world to Art and his friend. There's life and work on a farm, fishing trips, snatches of Scottish folklor from Kector, and the understanding relationship between the old man and the child. The villagers Kector's daughter, Agnos, and Art's family, all have their problems and inhabit Art's world, but the story mainly concerns the process of Art's growing. This night be called escapist literature, as High Wind in Jamaica or On Borrowed Time belong to the genre -- escape through the mind of a child, but never in a negative sense. Its appealing simplicity and sincerity make it pure enjoyment of a rare kind.