Description
Book SynopsisThe poetry that emerged from the trenches of WWI is a remarkable body of work, at once political manifesto and literary beacon for the twentieth century. In this passionate recreation of the lives of the greatest poets to come out of the conflict, Nicholas Murray brilliantly reveals the men themselves as well as the struggle of the artist to live fully and to bear witness in the annihilating squalor of battle.
Bringing into sharp focus the human detail of each life, using journals, letters and literary archives, Murray brings to life the men''s indissoluble comradeship, their complex sexual mores and their extraordinary courage. Poignant, vivid and unfailingly intelligent, Nicholas Murray''s study offers new and finely tuned insight into the - often devastatingly brief - lives of a remarkable generation of men.
Trade ReviewMurray is the best kind of literary biographer . . . A rich and compelling patchwork of responses to the conflict -- David Evans * Financial Times *
With lightly worn learning and considerable erudition,
The Red Sweet Wine of Youth recuperates lesser-known writers such as Julian Grenfell and TE Hulme, and situates them alongside Wilfred Owen and Seigfried Sassoon . . . A fine account of the poetic sensibility of the period -- Thomas Marks * Daily Telegraph *
