Would you go to war if your country demanded it of you? 'Goodbye To All That' by Robert Graves is commonly cited as one of the best books written about The Great War. It is a memoir written at age 33 of his childhood in English boarding schools, the brutality of the conditions in the trenches during WWI and his post-war life amongst fellow poets/writers. The bulk of the book is focused on his direct experiences at the front resulting in his general pacifist attitude as well as being ostracised by the rabidly patriotic non-combatants back home.
I summarised the book as follows. "It's a gritty and raw tale coming from a sensitive poet, an unusual combination. It shows trench warfare in it's horrifying ignominy but then will quickly contrast this with the blandness of not fitting into a normal civilian life. It is about as real as you can get as Graves does not particularly have any allegiance to a particular group and is simply recounting his life as he sees it."
As always, we hope you enjoy, Mere Mortals out!
Timeline:
(0:00) - Synopsis
(2:38) - Pacifism: Can there be a just war?
(7:48) - Ostracism: How much can one endure?
(11:29) - Personal Observations
(13:57) - Summary
(15:51) - Pragmatic Takeaway: Read more about 'just war'
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