| Hearing the soldier's voice | Open thread As discussion rages on Afghanistan, it seems appropriate to reflect on Siegfried Sassoon's views on the futility of warAs another five soldiers are killed in Afghanistan, Labour's support for the war there is fracturing further, with former foreign office minister Kim Howells calling for British soldiers to be withdrawn.In this context, and in the week of Remembrance Sunday, it seems an interesting coincidence that Cambridge University is on the verge of acquiring the work of one of Britain's most celebrated war poets, Siegfried Sassoon.A Soldier's Declaration is Sassoon's fulmination on the futility of the war. The handwritten letter that Sassoon sent to his commanding officer was later published in newspapers and read out in the Commons. We thought it might be an appropriate time to reflect on its relevance to the stories unfolding in Iraq and Afghanistan today.A Soldier's DeclarationI am making this statement as an act of wilful defiance of military authority, because I believe that the war is being deliberately prolonged by those who have the power to end it.I am a soldier, convinced that I am acting on behalf of soldiers. I believe that this war, upon which I entered as a war of defence and liberation, has now become a war of aggression and conquest. I believe that the purposes for which I and my fellow soldiers entered upon this war should have been so clearly stated as to have made it impossible to change them, and that, had this been done, the objects which actuated us would now be attainable by negotiation.I have seen and endured the sufferings of the troops, and I can no longer be a party to prolong these sufferings for ends which I believe to be evil and unjust.I am not protesting against the conduct of the war, but against the political errors and insincerities for which the fighting men are being sacrificed.In behalf of those who are suffering now I make this protest against the deception which is being practised on them; also I believe that I may help to destroy the callous complacence with which the majority of those at home regard the continuance of agonies which they do not share, and which they have not sufficient imagination to realise.Siegfried SassoonSiegfried SassoonAfghanistanIraqForeign policyMiddle EastDefence policyLabourguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds feeds.guardian.co.uk |
Barbara Kingsolver's 'Lacuna' lacks traction Sprawling, ambitious but often somewhat impersonal, Barbara Kingsolver's new novel The Lacuna is a solid book that feels a little ... rssfeeds.usatoday.com |
Paperback Nonfiction Top 5 at a Glance1. THE BLIND SIDE, by Michael Lewis2. THREE CUPS OF TEA, by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin3. FREAKONOMICS, by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner4. THE GLASS CASTLE, by Jeannette Walls5. I HOPE THEY SERVE BEER IN HELL, by Tucker Max feeds.nytimes.com |
Guardian review book club with Martin Amis Date: Monday 25 JanuaryTime: 19:00Venue: Hall OnePrice: £9.50Martin Amis will join John Mullan for our January Book club to talk about his 1991 novel, Time's Arrow. Written in reverse chronology, the novel is a fictionalised account of the life of Nazi war criminal, Doctor Tod T Friendly. He dies and then feels markedly better, breaks up with his lovers as a prelude to seducing them, and mangles his patients before he sends them home. And all the while Tod's life races backward toward the one appalling moment in modern history when such reversals make sense.Tickets are £9.50 online or £11.50 from the box office and can be bought direct from Kings Place:Website: kingsplace.co.ukTel: 020 7520 1490Martin Amisguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds feeds.guardian.co.uk |
Penguin's decade-defining books The publisher has selected its 'landmark' titles from four decades to celebrate its 75th birthday, but how smart is the premise?t seems like no time at all since Penguin was celebrating its 70th birthday, but the publisher has now made it to 75 years of age and is about to roll out its latest promotional celebration. This time around, it's decided to select the books it published which "helped shape modern Britain", picking five novels from each of the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s and publishing them in April with new introductions from the likes of Ali Smith and Jeremy Paxman. "When they were published, some were bestsellers, some were considered scandalous, and others were simply misunderstood," Penguin says. "All represent their time and helped define their generation, while today each is considered a landmark work of storytelling."Now, this is a tricky business. Not only is Penguin limited to its own titles for its choice, but its selectors will have wanted to steer clear of any controversy: last time round, on its 70th anniversary, the publisher received some flak for only choosing two non-white authors for the 70 Pocket Penguins it released to mark the occasion. I think the selectors have done ok, considering – there's lots of books I've read and loved on the list (hurrah for Susan Hill, whose I'm the King of the Castle absolutely terrified me, Angela Carter, who surely anyone sensible can't get enough of, and Barry Hines's unforgettable Kes), and there's also lots there which I've been intending to read for ages. A Clockwork Orange works well for the 60s, I think, and From Russia with Love fits with the 50s.That said, though, they probably set themselves an impossible task – is it really feasible to choose the books which defined a decade? I found it tough enough to choose my favourite book of the year in December, and I'd be hard pressed to steer away from personal preference in order to choose a defining title of the year, let alone the decade. Should it give the flavour of the period? Be the most high-profile title? The best?The choice of decades reflects this dilemma to some extent. Penguin said that the 90s and 00s were excluded for being "a little too recent; the books that defined those decades hadn't quite been settled on." They also decided not to include the 1940s because, "being Penguin's first full decade the list was relatively narrow, and the Penguin Modern Classics list has managed to represent that decade quite fully already".Still, good on Penguin for trying, I say, and for reminding us of a brilliant backlist rather than just focusing on the new. I'd love to hear about other decade-defining titles out there, Penguin or otherwise, which you think were missed – and also what you make of Penguin's selections.The list:1950sScenes from Provincial Life by William CooperLucky Jim by Kingsley AmisFrom Russia with Love by Ian FlemingBilly Liar by Keith WaterhouseThe Chrysalids by John Wyndham1960sA Clockwork Orange by Anthony BurgessThe Millstone by Margaret DrabbleThe British Museum is Falling Down by David LodgeA Kestrel for a Knave by Barry HinesAnother Part of the Wood by Beryl Bainbridge1970sI'm the King of the Castle by Susan HillDon't Look Now by Daphne du MaurierThe Infernal Desire Machines of Doctor Hoffman by Angela CarterThe Children of Dynmouth by William TrevorTreasures of Time by Penelope Lively1980sA Month in the Country by JL CarrAn Ice-Cream War by William BoydHawksmoor by Peter AckroydParadise Postponed by John MortimerLatecomers by Anita BrooknerAlison Floodguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds feeds.guardian.co.uk |