Undertones of War
by Edmund Blunden
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Book Summary Information
Author: Edmund BlundenEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2007-11-01
ISBN: 0226061760
Number of pages: 252
Publisher: University Of Chicago Press
Book Reviews of Undertones of War
Book Review: Best English Memoir of World War I
Summary: 5 Stars
"A pleasant summer-evening read"? So says a negative reviewer. Huh?
Undertones of War is, with those by Siegfried Sassoon and Robert Graves, one of the best English memoirs of the First World War (John Lucy's 'There's A Devil in the Drum' is by far the best British memoir, and perhaps the best of all time). Blunden is, however, more subtle than they. An intellectual and poet, he portrays himself as a "pastoralist at war," and pays especial regard to the sacrilegious impact of war on the countryside--and life. And while his style may not provide the in-your-face appeal so dear to many American readers, it rewards the careful reader with an elegant, insightful view of the meaning of war.
Yet it can also be brutally honest. Who can forget the eyeball on the duckboard?
Read it while listening to Ralph Vaughan Williams' 'Pastoral Symphony' #3, which was composed behind the front lines of WWI. It goes with the book.
I have read hundreds of World War I memoirs. This book remains in my top five. Take your time reading it. Ponder it. You won't be disappointed.
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