AustLit
Latest Issues
AbstractHistoryArchive Description
'Around the country, bronze soldiers in slouch hats stand silently at attention. It is the Anzacs' remarkable writing that reveals the lives behind the national legend.
In the Trenches is a collection of gripping, awe-inspiring and sometimes terrifying accounts of life at the front, recorded by those who lived through the fighting.
Drawn from diaries, memoirs and letters, as well as poetry, reportage and prose, this writing reminds us that the Anzac legend is rooted in real and tragic circumstances on a heartbreakingly human scale. Belying the common perception of the laconic digger, these compelling voices convey the range of wartime experience, from the desolation and horror to the unbridled excitement and camaraderie. Through it all runs the bleak toll on young lives.
Author and journalist Mark Dapin has selected writing from those on the frontlines as well as behind the scenes, from officers and soldiers to nurses, engineers and reporters, to create a volume that will be regarded as the definitive record of the personal experiences that forged the emerging national identities of Australia and New Zealand.' (Publisher's blurb)
Notes
-
Includes Mark Dapin's introduction, titled 'The Things They Left Behind', pp. ix-xvii.
-
Only works by Australian authors individually indexed. Other works in this volume include:
- 'From the Marne to the Aisne', an extract from A Surgeon in Khaki, by New Zealand author Arthur Anderson Martin (pp. 15-23)
- 'A Man's Life : The Gallipoli Diary of William George Malone, 1915', from The Great Adventure: New Zealand Soldiers Describe the First World War (pp. 30-38)
- 'Dear Skipper', by Robert James Capstick, from Letters from Gallipoli: New Zealand Soldiers Write Home (pp. 59-65)
- 'Fricourt to Fleurs: 15th September 1916', by Alexander Aitken, from Gallipoli to the Somme: Recollections of a New Zealand Infantryman (pp. 204-212)
- 'Pont Neippe', from the novel Civilian into Soldier, by the New Zealand author John A. Lee (pp. 253-259)
- 'The Tragedy of Passchendaele', by Leonard Hart. From The Great Adventure: New Zealand Soldiers Describe the First World War (pp. 284-291)
- 'In France', an extract from the autobiography We Will Not Cease, by the New Zealand conscientious objector Archibald Baxter (pp. 294-309)
Contents
- Death's Meni"Under a grey October sky", single work poetry (p. 3-4)
- Australia Answers the Call, extract prose (p. 5-14)
- The Day Beforei"We went out in the afternoon,", single work poetry war literature (p. 27-29)
- The First Days, extract autobiography (p. 39-49)
- Gallipoli Correspondent, extract diary (p. 51-58)
- Anzac Covei"There's a lonely stretch of hillocks:", single work poetry war literature (p. 66)
- Optimistic Days, extract novel (p. 67-72)
- A Night Attacki"Be still. The bleeding night is in suspense", single work poetry war literature (p. 73)
- Glimpses of Anzac, extract prose (p. 74-82)
- In the Trenchi"Every night I sleep,", single work poetry war literature (p. 83)
- Letters Home, extract correspondence (p. 84-93)
- The Diggersi"The diggers are digging, and digging deep.", single work poetry war literature (p. 94)
- About the Troops, extract correspondence (p. 95-102)
- Poppiesi"Some scarlet poppies lay upon our right.", single work poetry war literature (p. 103)
- The Forest of the Deadi"There are strange trees in that pale field", single work poetry war literature (p. 107-108)
- Hell-Fire Jack, extract diary (p. 109-119)
- The Wells of Beersheba, extract novella (p. 120-129)
- The Turkish Rear-Guard, extract autobiography (p. 130-135)
- The Facei"Out of the smoke of men's wrath,", single work poetry war literature (p. 139)
- When Blackbirds Sing, extract novel (p. 140-151)
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
-
A Huge and Bloody Mistake
2014
single work
review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , April no. 360 2014; (p. 24)
— Review of From the Trenches : The Best Anzac Writing from World War One 2013 anthology biography novel poetry prose autobiography diary novel -
Bringing Up the Bodies
2014
single work
review
— Appears in: The Age , 25 January 2014; (p. 27)
— Review of From the Trenches : The Best Anzac Writing from World War One 2013 anthology biography novel poetry prose autobiography diary novel -
Soldiers' Words an Enduring Memorial
2014
single work
review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 25-26 January 2014; (p. 16)
— Review of From the Trenches : The Best Anzac Writing from World War One 2013 anthology biography novel poetry prose autobiography diary novel -
Military History
2013
single work
review
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 14 December 2013; (p. 32)
— Review of From the Trenches : The Best Anzac Writing from World War One 2013 anthology biography novel poetry prose autobiography diary novel
-
Military History
2013
single work
review
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 14 December 2013; (p. 32)
— Review of From the Trenches : The Best Anzac Writing from World War One 2013 anthology biography novel poetry prose autobiography diary novel -
Soldiers' Words an Enduring Memorial
2014
single work
review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 25-26 January 2014; (p. 16)
— Review of From the Trenches : The Best Anzac Writing from World War One 2013 anthology biography novel poetry prose autobiography diary novel -
Bringing Up the Bodies
2014
single work
review
— Appears in: The Age , 25 January 2014; (p. 27)
— Review of From the Trenches : The Best Anzac Writing from World War One 2013 anthology biography novel poetry prose autobiography diary novel -
A Huge and Bloody Mistake
2014
single work
review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , April no. 360 2014; (p. 24)
— Review of From the Trenches : The Best Anzac Writing from World War One 2013 anthology biography novel poetry prose autobiography diary novel