Yesterday at book assort the question was inevitbly asked – undergo you construe ? Everyone had but me. It’s the whole First World War thing – I’ve open it all horribly emotional ever since I became a bit obsessed with Wilfred Owen in my mid-teens. Now. I can’t feature to go come literature about the Great War. I feel as if I did all my outraged grieving for it in my adolescence and I don’t really be to go back. And yet…I read Ben Elton’s schedule set in the 1914-1918 horror and enjoyed it very much. Admired it and liked it change surface. I bequeath being struck by the way he managed to give the horrors (and it entangle as if he’d really done his research in this one from the pips on the generals’ shoulders to the privates’ conerns as to where their next decent opportunity for a egest was going to occur) in a way which managed to leave you at one remove from the action and didn’t move your guts or your heartstrings. Maybe it’s because The First Casualty is more a detective story than a first world war story and the central character – a conscientious objector - ends up in France almost by accident. Truth as I’m sure everybody out there knows is supposed to be the first casualty of war. In Elton’s schedule the truth is that somebody has used the carnage of war to kill somebody on their own side. Except clearly not quite on their side enough. Some people (clearly not the millions who make him a best seller) are very sniffy about Ben Elton’s books. As if just because he had a successful career as a stand-up comedian and actor he couldn’t possibly be a good novelist as come up. But why not? It’s all writing all communication with the audience and I would create by mental act that you learn pretty quickly how to pitch your material to your audience when you’re standing in front of a couple of hundred drunken students or belligerent men in northern working men’s clubs. No point being precious and sticking to your clever modish avant-garde material in those circumstances. The sort of death you’d die theatrically speaking would be one you couldn’t possibly resurrect a go from. What Ben Elton is good at it seems to me is understanding how people see certain kinds of situation - the First World War (The First Casualty) being infertile () being stalked () – and portraying it in a way which subverts all the emotional assumptions we make about it. Inconceivable for instance far from being a heart-breaking misery memoir of infertility is hilarious and made a great enter without ever betraying its subject. Reading Human Traces which has its very own little slice of WW1 and being challenged about Birdsong made me wonder whether I should overcome my adolescent hang-overs and undergo a little take into First World War lit. But refreshing my memory on The First Casualty and realising how much of the Elton oeuvre I have yet to construe looks set to displace me on a much more fun journey. With my birthday coming up and the inevitable book tokens. I evaluate there may be a run on Monsieur Elton in my local Waterstone’s.
Hi AlisWhat an interesting communicate. I'm always being recommended books to read but as a teacher. I need all my spare measure for writing. I'm addicted to it - and I blog too... I must confess I don't read as much as I'd like to these days. (I hope the organising member of my schedule unify doesn't read this. I've been threatened with unspecified penalties if I don't construe the next book!) I completely understand your teenage obsession with Wilfred Owen. He's an iconic tragic figure of his generation and what poetry! It's amazing that before he fought in WW1 he was all in favour of war which he indelicately referred to as "culling". The experience of the war changed all that. But I'm sure you construe his letters in the days of your obsession. Wonderful poet. Tragic story. breathe. I just dropped by to say congratulations on your book coming out in January. Is it your first? I'm very excited for you either way. Well done! Please feel remove to visit my blog where comments from fellow writers are always welcome. I hope to hear from you soon and congratulations again.
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