THE STORY OF A NOVEL

Strange the impression left after reading this little book on how he came to write Of Time and the River is virtually that of ""briefing"" his own book. For it is more than an expanded essay on manner and method and theory -- it epitomizes the conception and the birth pangs of the book itself -- and it reflects, in miniature, the content of ""man's struggle in his youth."" Sell to those who liked the novel to those who were not quite sure whether they liked it or not.