A War In Words - Svetlana Palmer & Sarah Wallis

[Bill]

Departing from the form of traditional histories, A War in Words tells the story of the First World War entirely through the diaries and letters of its combatants, eyewitnesses and victims. Powerful individual stories are interwoven to form an extraordinary narrative that follows the chronology of the war, in words written on the battlefield and on leave, under occupation and under siege -- from the Western Front to East Africa; and from the North Sea to the southern Balkans. Gripping, immediate and deeply moving, A War in Words represents a major addition to First World War literature.


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[purplebongowoman]

I highly recommend this book. It takes a chronological approach, and then within that focuses on particular time-frames, often juxtaposing accounts from opposing sides. I found the accounts of the war on the Eastern front particularly revealing, not knowing so much about this. Most English studies focus on the Western Front. Most of the accounts are taken from diaries, two of which were written by children. It is very moving and brings home to the reader the unexpected horror of the battlefield and the devastation that was wrought to people's lives.