Her Privates We - Softcover

Manning, Frederic

3.99

1,265 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 8087888596 ISBN 13: 9788087888599

Publisher: Important Books, 2013

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"The finest and noblest book of men and war that I have ever read."--Ernest Hemingway"I am sure it is the book of books so far as the British Army is concerned."--Lawrence of Arabia"A unique and extraordinary novel"--William BoydFirst published privately in 1929 as "The Middle Parts of Fortune, Her Privates We" is the novel of the Battle of the Somme told from the perspective of Bourne, an ordinary private. A raw and shockingly honest portrait of men engaged in war, "that peculiarly human activity," the original edition was subject to "prunings and excisions" because the bluntness of language was thought to make the book unfit for public distribution. This edition restores them.An undisputed classic of war writing and a lasting tribute to all who participated in the war, "Her Privates We" was originally published as written by "Private 19022." Championed by, amongst others, Ernest Hemingway, Ezra Pound, T. S. Eliot, and T. E. Lawrence, it has become recognized as a classic in the seventy years since its first publication. Now republished, it will again amaze a new generation of readers with its depiction of the horror, the ordinariness, and the humanity of war.Frederic Manning enlisted in 1915 in the Shropshire Light Infantry and went to France in 1916 as "Private 19022." The Shropshires saw heavy fighting on the Somme and Manning's four months there provided the background to "Her Privates We." He died in 1935.

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Review:

The finest and noblest book of men in war. --Ernest Hemingway

The soldiers swear and curse vilely, show not an iota of military zeal or patriotic fervour and spend their time behind the lines scrounging food and trying to get drunk. The book has the unmistakable reek of total authenticity --William Boyd

The soldiers swear and curse vilely, show not an iota of military zeal or patriotic fervour and spend their time behind the lines scrounging food and trying to get drunk. The book has the unmistakable reek of total authenticity --William Boyd

The soldiers swear and curse vilely, show not an iota of military zeal or patriotic fervour and spend their time behind the lines scrounging food and trying to get drunk. The book has the unmistakable reek of total authenticity --William Boyd

From the Publisher:

The class novel of the first world war
First published in 1929, Her Privates We is an extraordianry novel of World War 1. When it first came out, the novel was censored and its language which was considered too crude was cleaned up and the swear words removed - the privates could die but not swear! This edition marks the first time the book has been published in its original version. The informative introduction by William Boyd narrates the history of the book and its author - an Australian who fought as a private in the War. The book is a powerful indictment of the callous attitudes of the officer class - it is as essential reading today as when it was first published. Ernest Hemingway wrote of Her Privates We 'the finest and noblest book of men in war'.

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