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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

'Some Authors Who Swapped Pen For Sword'


Guest mruk

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Many Thanks, Michael.

Phew! This could be a tricky one, given that I know as much about literature and poetry, as I do about Keynesian Economics, although the relationship between Bekassy and Keynes is an interesting one, though I'm not sure whether I can help much one way or the other, except to list a few works in translation, each of which postdate the anthology.

Daniel Simko [Trans] [1998] 'Autumn Sonata: Selected Poems of Georg Trakl'

Georg Trakl [1989] 'Songs of the West' [Trans. R. Firmage]

Georg Trakl [2001] 'Poems and Prose' [Trans. Alexander Stillmark]

This was a good exercise, if nothing else, and perhaps it was the influence of Cross's book which spurred some to offer their translation--though others, such as Michael Hamburger and Peter Sherwood, deserve as much recognition.

Kind Regards,

Dave

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I realise from other threads elsewhere that perhaps the Saki story may not have been a good thing to recommend... I have always assumed, with a bit of uncertainty, that he was sniping at anti-semitic attitudes but in light of one of the Michael's responses this may not have been the case. And I have that blessed novel on my shelf, but have never read it!

I shall just go and scream at my idiocy in the corner...

Adrian

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I wouldn't be too hard on yourself Adrian

Saki was a very complex character

and surely complexity must be an asset in a writer

Hibberd describes him briefly thus;

"His politics were always strongly Tory, patriotic and Spartan, unsympathetic to the mild Conservatism of the day. Christianity struck him as absurd. He was homosexual, apparently from his teens; discretion in such matters was essential, but taking risks was part of the game."

Hibberd thinks he was influenced by Kipling, Wilde and Carroll (and that in-turn Munro influenced Milne and Coward)

Perhaps you can hear the reflection of Wilde in your favourite Clovis here

Tarrington claimed to have met Clovis at luncheon with his aunt

"'My aunt never lunches' said Clovis; 'she belongs to the National Anti-luncheon League, which is doing quite a lot of good work in a quiet, unobtrusive way. A subscription of half a crown per quarter entitles you to go without ninety-two luncheons.'

'This must be something new,' exclaimed Tarrington

'It's the same aunt that I've always had,' said Clovis coldly."

best regards

Michael

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  • 10 years later...

Remembered today

 

MUNRO, HECTOR HUGH

Rank: Lance Serjeant

Service No: 225

Date of Death: 14/11/1916

Age: 45

Regiment/Service: Royal Fusiliers "A" Coy. 22nd Bn.

Panel Reference: Pier and Face 8 C 9 A and 16 A.

Memorial: THIEPVAL MEMORIAL

Additional Information:

Younger son of the late Col. Charles Augustus Munro (Bengal Staff Corps), and Mary Frances Munro. An Author ("Saki"), Special Correspondent and Journalist. Enlisted in 1914.

 

see also https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2016/nov/14/why-sakis-stories-are-due-a-revival

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 Thanks Michael. Do you mind if I post that elsewhere?

 

sJ

 

:poppy:

 

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A number of the foreign authors in The Lost Voices do have works are available in English translation.

Selected Poems Georg Trakl was published by Johnathan Cape in 1968. Probably hard to locate - my copy of this thin paperback indicated I paid £15 for it about 8 years ago.

Both Lament and Grodek are in it. Although Trakl  was certainly a lost  voice, I think it not accurate - despite the two above pieces - to judge him a war poet.

Edited by David Filsell
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I'd never heard of Ferenc Bekassy until I visited King's College Chapel, Cambridge a few years ago.

 

I was walking around the Chapel looking for the war memorial and found his name (as the extract below states) separate from all the others. I think that there's a note on the wall near to the memorial explaining the significance of it, so the extract below does remind me of it. I'm pretty sure that I haven't heard his comment in the last sentence, though.

  

"As lieutenant of a Hussar regiment he fell at Dobronoutz in Bukovina on 25th June 1915. Only at the insistence of Keynes was a plaque to Bekassy's memory secured in King's College Chapel. Although in the same side-chapel as his fellow students who fought with the Allies, his name is carved into the stone wall to one side of the main plaque. 'These Cambridge people have little to do with me; they merely know more or less what I am like.' "

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