‘TheYoungDesireIt,’byKennethMackenzieFirstpublishedinAustraliain1937whenKennethMackenziewasinhisearly20s,“TheYoungDesireIt”isabooktosetbesideJamesJoyce’s“APortraitoftheArtistasaYoungMan,”Alain-Fournier’s“TheLostDomain”and...well,Idon’tknowwhatelse.Inhisexcellent,thoughplot-spoiler-richintroductiontothisTextClassicsedition,DavidMaloufaddsRaymondRadiguet’s“TheDevilintheFlesh,”butmainlybecauseitsauthorwasacomparablygiftedprodigy(Radiguetdiedat20).There’snothingworldlyorGallicaboutMackenzie’sbeautiful—nootherwordwilldo—depictionofschoollife,lonelinessandsexualyearning.ItisthebestnovelI’vereadinalong,longtime.CharlesFoxhasspenthischildhoodwithhiswidowedmotheronastationinAustralia,livingacarefree,Edeniclife.Butnowat14,heisbeingsent,unhappily,toaprestigiousprivateboardingschool.Hefeelsutterlyoutofplace:“Amongthemassofboysthere,hewasinfactlikeapersonfromsomeremotelandthathadbeencivilizedwithoutsophistication.Hewasavisitorfromtheveryrealcountryofchildhood,andfromthatinnocentdemesneinitwhichallothersofhisagetherehadleft,longago.”Thingsbeginbadlyattheschool.Aprettyboy,Charlesistaunted,partlystrippedandgropedonhisfirstdaybyagangofolderstudents.Mackenziepainfullyevokestheboy’sshame,butalsohisangerandresilience.ForCharles,thoughgentle-heartedandangelicinappearance,istougherthanhelooks,andhedefendshimselfprettywellagainstfurtheronslaughts.Moreover,hesoondiscoversthat“thedesiretoknowwascomingtolifelikeafireinhisheart.Hewantedtolearn.”ThatjoyoflearningislargelyfosteredbyasympatheticEnglishandclassicsteacher.A25-year-oldOxfordgraduate,thecomplicatedPenworthisalsolonely,missingEnglanddesperatelyandfeelingamixtureofcontemptandpityformostofhisstudents.“Tohimtheywere,andwouldalwaysremain,crude,unchangeableyounganimals,whohadneverseenanEnglishspringoranOxforddusk;theywerelookingforward,buthelookedback,forever.”PenworthplaysBachontheviolintocalmhisnerves,butalsosometimesreadsaneleganteditionofPlato’sdangerouslyexciting“Phaedrus.”ForeventhoughtheEnglishmankee...
