Peter Englund
Hardcover | Pages: 488 pages Rating: 4.18 | 1833 Users | 223 Reviews
Mention Of Books The Beauty and the Sorrow: An Intimate History of the First World War (Stridens skönhet och sorg)
| Title | : | The Beauty and the Sorrow: An Intimate History of the First World War (Stridens skönhet och sorg) |
| Author | : | Peter Englund |
| Book Format | : | Hardcover |
| Book Edition | : | First Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 488 pages |
| Published | : | October 27th 2011 by Profile Books (first published October 4th 2008) |
| Categories | : | History. Nonfiction. War. World War I |
Chronicle To Books The Beauty and the Sorrow: An Intimate History of the First World War (Stridens skönhet och sorg)
Four devastating years told by twenty eyewitnesses showing not just what the First World War was, but what it was like to live throughThere are many books on the First World War, but award-winning and bestselling historian Peter Englund takes a daring and stunning new approach. Describing the experiences of twenty ordinary people from around the world, all now unknown, he explores the everyday aspects of war: not only the tragedy and horror, but also the absurdity, monotony and even beauty. Two of these twenty will perish, two will become prisoners of war, two will become celebrated heroes and two others end up as physical wrecks. One of them goes mad, another will never hear a shot fired.
Following soldiers and sailors, nurses and government workers, from Britain, Russia, Germany, Australia and South America - and in theatres of war often neglected by major histories on the period - Englund reconstructs their feelings, impressions, experiences and moods. This is a piece of anti-history: it brings this epoch-making event back to its smallest component, the individual.
Define Books Supposing The Beauty and the Sorrow: An Intimate History of the First World War (Stridens skönhet och sorg)
| Original Title: | Stridens skönhet och sorg: Första världskriget i 212 korta kapitel |
| ISBN: | 1846683424 (ISBN13: 9781846683428) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Series: | Stridens skönhet och sorg |
| Literary Awards: | Bernard Shaw Prize Nominee for Peter Graves (2012) |
Rating Of Books The Beauty and the Sorrow: An Intimate History of the First World War (Stridens skönhet och sorg)
Ratings: 4.18 From 1833 Users | 223 ReviewsJudgment Of Books The Beauty and the Sorrow: An Intimate History of the First World War (Stridens skönhet och sorg)
The most interesting book about about the Great War I have ever read. Now I need to learn more.After "Birdsong" I wanted to read more about World War I, but whereas that novel had been solely about the western front, this history described every aspect of the war. I especially enjoyed the sections on East Africa and Mesopotamia, as I had very little prior knowledge about the fighting there. The book also uses an unusual and highly effective format; basically, the author follows twenty individuals using their diaries, letters, and other sources, and as the years march from 1914-18, we read
I thought I'd read a lot more about World War I in this centennial year of the war's start. I began the year with Barbara Tuchman's "Guns of August", which gives more of a general's-eye view of the war's beginnings, so this more personal kenburnsian approach which follows twenty "normal" people through the years 1914-1918 had a lot of appeal. The structure of the book sometimes makes it hard to keep the characters straight, but I had a great tip from someone who read the book before me and I
Drawn from personal journals and letters, The Beauty and The Sorrow interweaves poignant and harrowing stories of twenty ordinary people with widely varying backgrounds, nationalities and occupations, who are all caught up in the turmoil of World War I. The individuals include an English nurse in Russia, a 12-year-old German girl, an Australian army engineer, a Venezuelan cavalryman in the Ottoman army, and an American opera singer married to a Polish aristocrat. The number of entries for each
I have always been puzzled about the details of the First World War, formerly called the Great War. This book clarifies that part of history. It follows the lives of twenty people of different nationalities, both civilian and military, who lived through the war. Some survived and some didn't. All of the stories are deeply personal. They take you into the trenches, in the mud, the cold, with rats, excrement, and decomposing bodies. Some nursed people with horrible wounds both physical and
It was great, if you love history or wars (which I do!). It had a lot of detail. I mean, right down to the way things sounded when they exploded or whizzed past your head. Or the way decaying bodies smelled. The details were sometimes hard to read (I mean, it's war. Things are horrible). But It followed the lives of several people throughout the war. It used their diaries and letters to loved ones to follow their lives during the war. Some were part of the army for various nations, some were
Just when I thought I'd covered any and all approaches to WWI writing, along comes something totally new and unexpected. NYT review persuades me (gladly) that apparently some topics are inexhaustible.http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/11/boo...
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.