1914―Goodbye to All That: Writers on the Conflict Between Life and Art - Softcover

Curated By Lavinia Greenlaw

Softcover

ISBN 10: 178227118X ISBN 13: 9781782271185

Publisher: Pushkin Press, 2014

Synopsis

A wide-ranging collection of reflective essays, to mark the centenary of the conflict that changed the world.

In this collection of essays, ten leading writers from different countries consider the conflicts that have informed their own literary lives. 1914-Goodbye to All That borrows its title from Robert Graves's "bitter leave-taking of England" in which he writes not only of the First World War but the questions it raised: how to live, how to live with each other, and how to write.

Interpreting this title as broadly and ambiguously as Graves intended, these essays mark the War's centenary by reinvigorating these questions. The book includes Elif Shafak on an inheritance of silence in Turkey, Ali Smith on lost voices in Scotland, Xiaolu Guo on the 100,000 Chinese sent to the Front, Daniel Kehlmann on hypnotism in Berlin, Colm Toibin on Lady Gregory losing her son fighting for Britain as she fought for an independent Ireland, Kamila Shamsie on reimagining Karachi, Erwin Mortier on occupied Belgium's legacy of shame, NoViolet Bulawayo on Zimbabwe and clarity, Ales Steger on resisting history in Slovenia, and Jeanette Winterson on what art is for.

Contributors include:

Ali Smith - Scotland

Ales Steger - Slovenia

Jeanette Winterson - England

Elif Shafak - Turkey

NoViolet Bulawayo - Zimbabwe

Colm Toibin - Ireland

Xiaolu Guo - China

Erwin Mortier - Belgium

Kamila Shamsie - Pakistan

Daniel Kehlmann - Germany

'Tender, compassionate humanity' Peter Conrad, Observer

'A global gathering of essayists here reimagine the war from a variety of vantage points' Guardian

'This superb collection of essays by some of today's leading writers stands out among the many books commissioned to mark the centenary of the First World War.' The Lady

Lavinia Greenlaw's poetry includes The Casual Perfect and A Double Sorrow: Troilus and Criseyde. Other works include The Importance of Music to Girls and Questions of Travel: William Morris in Iceland. She was the first artist-in-residence at the Science Museum, and received the Ted Hughes Award for her sound work Audio Obscura. Her work for BBC radio includes documentaries about Elizabeth Bishop, Emily Dickinson, the darkest place in England and Arctic light.

About this title

About the Authors

Ali Smith is an award-winning novelist and short story writer. Her novels include The Accidental, There but for the and, most recently, How to Be Both, winner of the 2014 Costa Novel Award. She was born in Scotland and now lives in Cambridge.

Erwin Mortier (1965) made his mark in 1999 with his debut novel Marcel, which was awarded several prizes in Belgium and the Netherlands, and received acclaim throughout Europe. In the following years he quickly built up a reputation as of one the leading authors of his generation. His novel While the Gods were Sleeping received the AKO Literature Prize, one of the most prestigious awards in the Netherlands. His latest work, Stammered Song Book, a mother's book of hours,' a raw yet tender elegy about illness and loss, was met with unanimous praise. Mortier's evocative descriptions bring past worlds brilliantly to life.

Edition details

• Publisher: Pushkin Press
• Publication date: 2014
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 178227118X
• ISBN 13: 9781782271185
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 192