Letters From A Lost Generation: First World War Letters of Vera Brittain and Four Friends

Brittain, Vera ; Bishop, Alan Bostridge, Mark [ edited by

ISBN 10: 0316646644 / ISBN 13: 9780316646642

Published by Little Brown, London, 1998

About this Item

FIRST EDITION - FINE COPY IN A LIKE COMPLETE DUST JACKET : a very nice copy indeed. 448p., [8]p. of plates : ill. Summary: his poignant work collects letters written from 1913 to 1918 between Vera Brittain and four young men - her fiance Roland Leighton, her younger brother Edward, and their two close friends, Victor Richardson and Geoffrey Thurlow - who were killed in World War I. While this correspondence inspired Testament of Youth, Brittain's classic memoir of her wartime experiences, most of the letters are published here for the first time. Taken together, the letters present a remarkable and profoundly moving portrait of five idealistic youths caught up in the cataclysm of war. Spanning the duration of the war, the letters vividly convey the uncertainty, confusion, and almost unbearable suspense of the tumultuous war years. They offer both male and female perspectives and reveal important historical insights by allowing the reader to witness and understand the Great War from a variety of viewpoints: that of the soldier in the trenches, of the volunteer nurse in military hospitals, and even of the civilians on the home front. As World War I fades from living memory, these letters are a powerful and stirring testament to a generation forever shattered and haunted by grief, loss, and promise unfulfilled.

Seller Inventory # 032348

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Letters From A Lost Generation: First World War Letters of Vera Brittain and Four Friends
• Publisher: Little Brown, London
• Publication Date: 1998
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0316646644
• ISBN 13: 9780316646642
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Condition: Fine
• Dust Jacket Condition: Fine
• Seller catalogs:
  • Historical Social Conditions { Great Britain }
  • Biography / Autobiography / Letters
  • Military, War, Arms, Guns, Vehicles

About this title

Synopsis

Published to coincide with the 80th anniversary of Armistice Day, this is a selection of letters, written between 1913 to 1918, between Vera Brittain and four young men - her fiance (Roland Leighton), her brother Edward, and their close friends, Victor Richardson and Geoffrey Thurlow. The letters present a portrait of five young people caught up in the cataclysm of total war. Roland, nicknamed "Monseigneur", is the leader, and his letters most clearly trace the path which led from idealism to disillusionment. Edward, known as "Immaculate of the Trenches", was the more orderly and controlled one - even down to his attire. Geoffrey, the "non-militarist at heart", had not rushed to enlist, but felt compelled to put aside his objections to the war for patriotism's sake and volunteer. Victor, on the other hand, had wanted to convince himself that he could take on the mantle of the warrior and become a military hero. Possessed of sweetness of character, he was known to his friends as "Father Confessor".

About the Author

Mark Bostridge is the co-author of Vera Brittain: A Life (Chatto & Windus 1995), which was shortlisted for several prizes. Alan Bishop is Professor of English at McMaster University in Ontario and has edited three volumes of Vera Brittain's diaries.