The Post-Office Girl by Stefan Zweig, Joel Rotenberg ISBN: 1590172620
Published by New York Review Books on April 15th 2008
Genres: Fiction, Classics, Literary
Pages: 257
Len's Summary: First published posthumously in Germany in 1982, this is a novel about post-WWI Vienna and the frayed society left behind with the disappearance of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Zweig (1881-1942), an Austrian Jew and author of The World Yesterday (1941) was forced into exile in 1934 and died by his own hand in Brazil in 1941. Stefen Zweig should not be confused with the German Arnold Zweig, author of the classic WWI novels Education Before Verdun and The Case of Sergeant Griska.
The Return of the Soldier
The Return of the Soldier by Rebecca West ISBN: 9780141180656
Published by Penguin on June 1st 1998
Genres: Fiction, Classics, Literary
Pages: 90
Len's Summary: A shell shocked British officer returns to his stately upper class English home suffering from amnesia. A view of the shifting nature of the British upper classes after the upheavals of the Great War.
Covenant with Death
Covenant with Death by John Harris ISBN: 9780751557121
on April 1st 2015
Genres: Fiction, Classics, War & Military
Pages: 505
Len's Summary: Traces the fate of one battalion of Kitchener volunteers through training to the Somme. Available used from Alibris and other used booksellers.
Three Soldiers
Three Soldiers by John Dos Passos ISBN: 9780486434674
Published by Courier Corporation on June 18th 2004
Genres: Fiction, Classics
Pages: 309
Len's Summary: First published in 1921, a grim fictionalized depiction of life in the WWI era America Army by the author who typifies the Lost Generation.
Manhattan Transfer
Manhattan Transfer by John Dos Passos ISBN: 9780618381869
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company on September 2nd 2003
Genres: Fiction, Classics
Pages: 342
Len's Summary: Considered Dos Passos’ greatest novel first published in 1925, this is a series of short stories, an expressionistic look at New York City in the 1920s; its protagonists, including returning Doughboys, struggle to live the American dream. Dos Passos, a leading member of “the lost generation,” was himself a WWI veteran, an ambulance driver in France and Italy.
The Enormous Room
The Enormous Room by E. E. Cummings ISBN: 9780486421209
Published by Dover Publications on August 26th 2002
Genres: Fiction, Classics, War & Military, Poetry
Pages: 192
Len's Summary: An autobiographical account of Cummings’ arrest and imprisonment for alleged treason in France during WWI. Cummings served as an American volunteer driver in the Norton-Harjes Ambulance Corps. First published in 1922.
The Riddle of the Sands
The Riddle of the Sands by Erskine Childers ISBN: 9780141031279
Published by Penguin Adult on June 7th 2007
Genres: Fiction, Classics
Pages: 352
Len's Summary: An early spy novel written in 1903 by a Boer War veteran; the plot revolves around German plans to invade England discovered while sailing among the Frisian Islands. Childers (pronounced Chill-ders), an Irish patriot who smuggled arms aboard his yacht, was executed by the Free State authorities in 1922 during the Irish Civil War.
Fear: A Novel of World War I
Fear: A Novel of World War I by Gabriel Chevallier ISBN: 9781590177167
Published by New York Review of Books on May 20th 2014
Genres: Fiction, Classics, Historical, War & Military, Biographical
Pages: 305
Len's Summary: First published in French in 1930, this is the fictionalized account of the front-line experiences of a French poilou called up in 1915. The author, writing in the tradition of Henri Barbusse’s Le Feu, was a veteran of WWI. // The compelling story of a young French piolu who sees far too much of war. Translation from the original French.
A Month in the Country
A Month in the Country by J.L. Carr, Michael Holroyd ISBN: 0940322471
Published by NYRB Classics on October 31st 2000
Genres: Fiction, Classics, Historical
Pages: 135
Len's Summary: First published in 1978, this is the story of a shell shocked WWI veteran who finds solace in restoring a work of art in a Yorkshire village church. This novel was made into a 1987 movie starring Colin Firth and Natasha Richardson available on Region Two DVD from Amazon.co.uk. Winner of the Guardian Fiction Prize.
Paths of Glory
Paths of Glory by Humphrey Cobb, James H. Meredith, David Simon ISBN: 0143106112
Published by Penguin Classics on June 29th 2010
Genres: Fiction, Classics, Literary, War & Military
Pages: 190
Len's Summary: First published in 1935, this provocative novel was made into a 1957 motion picture directed by Stanley Kubrick. Kurt Douglas was nominated for an Academy Award for his leading role as a French infantry colonel ordered to take an impregnable hill. Cobb was war correspondent in France and Belgium and a witness to the German invasion. // Written in the 1930s, this classic WWI novel of the French Army was authored by an American veteran of the Canadian forces. The 1957 movie version directed by Stanley Kubrick and still available on VHS and DVD earned Kurt Douglas an academy award nomination.
The Transylvanian Trilogy: They Were Counted, They Were found Wanting, They Were Divided
The Transylvanian Trilogy: They Were Counted, They Were found Wanting, They Were Divided by Miklos Banffy ISBN: 9780375712296
Published by Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group on 2013
Genres: Fiction, Classics, Historical, Literary
Pages: 696
Len's Summary: Romantic fiction written by a Hungarian aristocrat and set in the years 1904-1914 examines the decline of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Reprint of a 1990s translation by the author’s daughter and Patrick Thursfeld.
President’s Quarterly Update—April 2024
Dear Members and Friends,
I’m extremely pleased with the level of WW1HA’s activities, some of which may be unseen by you.
Our Journal, “World War One Illustrated,” is now published three times a year with an average length of 48 pages. Each issue is filled with high-quality articles covering a variety of topics, including the popular “My Kin in the Great War” series.
Our electronic newsletter, “Here and There with the WW1HA” is published monthly, with an assortment of Association events and articles covering WW1 topics.
Sal Compagno’s San Francisco Bay Area Chapter continues to hold monthly meetings via Zoom, while Mark Benbow’s Eastern Chapter is holding quarterly meetings.
As President, I am also hosting a quarterly “Fireside Chat” online. The last one emphasized WW1 poetry. The next one will emphasize WW1-era music.
If you’re already a member, I thank you for your membership and encourage you to take part in these activities. If you’re not a member, I ask you to join and participate in these activities. Participate in the events and consider submitting an article for the journal or newsletter.
Reach out to me with your comments: lavarennes@meuse-argonne.com.
Regards,
Randy Gaulke
