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Reviews
1914 - Goodbye to All That: Writers on the Conflict Between Life and Art by Lavinia Greenlaw
cythera15's review
4.0
Comfortable read in a long time. Very readable.
I honestly expected it to be more about the First World War, but the essays do not touch on it so much -- the war almost seems gratuitous to other things that each writer talks about. Nonetheless, it provided me with new writers to explore...
The world is big, so I thought, reading this on a German subway.
I honestly expected it to be more about the First World War, but the essays do not touch on it so much -- the war almost seems gratuitous to other things that each writer talks about. Nonetheless, it provided me with new writers to explore...
The world is big, so I thought, reading this on a German subway.
hhfs's review
4.0
The way the book has been put together, with essays from different people from around the world, is an interesting set up I have never experienced before.
The way each author writes about their unique experiences with suppression of the arts in their countries, the tragedy of forgetfulness and the danger of expression (Not just World War One) makes for a fascinating read.
The way each author writes about their unique experiences with suppression of the arts in their countries, the tragedy of forgetfulness and the danger of expression (Not just World War One) makes for a fascinating read.
abookishtype's review
3.0
1914: Goodbye to All That was commissioned by 14-18 NOW, World War I Centenary Art Commissions and edited by Lavinia Greenlaw. It contains essays and stories by Ali Smith, Kamila Shamsie, Daniel Kehlmann, Aleš Šteger, Elif Shafak, NoViolet Bulawayo, Erwin Mortier, Xiaolu Guo, Colm Tóibín, and Jeanette Winterson. Most of the pieces have to do with World War I, but others are about other conflicts. The subtitle explains that this collection is really about writers reflecting on the shortfalls of art and language to address war, atrocity, and devastation...
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type. I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley for review consideration.
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type. I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley for review consideration.
justabean_reads's review
4.0
Enjoyable and interesting if somewhat puzzling. I'm pretty sure the solicit was "How you personally view the intersection of art and the first world war," which brought a predictably varied group of responses. Some essays are reflections of the difficulty of connecting with things that happened five generations ago; some on specific things that happened; some on the moral demands on an artist in that conflict, or in current conflicts; some a mix of those elements. Many included the work of the war poets.
I appreciated the effort to include the voices of more than England, France and Germany, and the book did contain a wide variety of perspectives, including Turkey, Zimbabwe, Pakistan and China, to remind the reader that it was a world war. I did feel that it could have included a handful more essays; there was nothing from the Americas, Australia or Eastern Europe made it in, for example. It's a slim volume, with each essay packing a punch, but a little more wouldn't have hurt.
I appreciated the effort to include the voices of more than England, France and Germany, and the book did contain a wide variety of perspectives, including Turkey, Zimbabwe, Pakistan and China, to remind the reader that it was a world war. I did feel that it could have included a handful more essays; there was nothing from the Americas, Australia or Eastern Europe made it in, for example. It's a slim volume, with each essay packing a punch, but a little more wouldn't have hurt.
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