WWI commemoration - The Red Sweet Wine of Youth

[charlie_cochrane]

I'd like to recommend this excellent book by Nicholas Murray. It's a study of "the brave and brief lives of the war poets" and not just the usual Sassoon and Owen. Rosenburg, Blunden, Gurney, etc all feature here. So does one of my favourite historical letters, the one Owen wrote Sassoon.

"Know that since mid-September, when you still regarded me as a tiresome little knocker on your door, I held you as Keats + Christ + Elijah + my Colonel + my father-confessor + Amenophis IV in profile.
What's that mathematically? In effect it is this: that I love you, dispassionately, so much, so very much, dear Fellow, that the blasting little smile you wear on reading this can't hurt me in the least."

Poor Wilfred, so much in awe of Sassoon and unlikely ever to have that love requited in the way he seemed to want...

Comments

[helenajust.livejournal.com]

Thank you, Charlie. Not sure when I'll get round to reading it, but I've ordered a copy.

[charliecochrane.livejournal.com]

I hope you enjoy it. xxx

[sandra-lindsey.livejournal.com]

Oh. Oh. *sniffle*

[charliecochrane.livejournal.com]

I know. *sobs*

[eglantine-br.livejournal.com]

Poor W deserving of better than he ever lived to see.

[charliecochrane.livejournal.com]

Yes, yes and thrice yes.

[jaylewistaylor.livejournal.com]

I have a signed copy of this somewhere, and never read it. Must find it.

[charliecochrane.livejournal.com]

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. There's also one called (maybe?) Strange Meetings about various poets meeting up.

[jaylewistaylor.livejournal.com]

http://www.theguardian.com/books/2010/nov/13/strange-meetings-poets-war-review

[charliecochrane.livejournal.com]

How interesting, thank you!