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The Green Flag #1
The Most Distressful Country
Book by Kee, Robert
352 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1972
4 people are currently reading
46 people want to read
About the author
Robert Kee
57 books12 followersRobert Kee, CBE was a broadcaster, journalist and writer, known for his historical works on World War II and Ireland.
He was educated at Stowe School, Buckingham, and read history at Magdalen College, Oxford, where he was a pupil, then a friend, of the historian A.J.P. Taylor.
During World War II he served in the Royal Air Force as a bomber pilot. His Hampden was shot down by flak one night while on a mine-laying operation off the coast of German-occupied Holland. He was imprisoned and spent three years in a German POW camp. This gave him material for his first book A Crowd Is Not Company. It was first published as a novel in 1947 but was later revealed to be an autobiography. It recounts his experiences as a prisoner of war and his various escapes from the Nazi camp. The Times describes it as "arguably the best POW book ever written."
His career in journalism began immediately after the Second World War. He worked for the Picture Post, then later became a special correspondent for The Sunday Times and The Observer. He was also literary editor of The Spectator.
In 1958 he moved to television. He appeared for many years on both the BBC and ITV as reporter, interviewer and presenter. He presented many current affairs programmes including Panorama, ITN's First Report and Channel 4's Seven Days. He was awarded the BAFTA Richard Dimbleby Award in 1976.
Kee wrote and presented the documentary series Ireland – A Television History in 1980. The work was widely shown in the United Kingdom and the United States and received great critical acclaim, winning the Christopher Ewart-Biggs Memorial Prize. Following its transmission on RTÉ, the Irish national broadcaster, Kee won a Jacob's Award for his script and presentation.
He was educated at Stowe School, Buckingham, and read history at Magdalen College, Oxford, where he was a pupil, then a friend, of the historian A.J.P. Taylor.
During World War II he served in the Royal Air Force as a bomber pilot. His Hampden was shot down by flak one night while on a mine-laying operation off the coast of German-occupied Holland. He was imprisoned and spent three years in a German POW camp. This gave him material for his first book A Crowd Is Not Company. It was first published as a novel in 1947 but was later revealed to be an autobiography. It recounts his experiences as a prisoner of war and his various escapes from the Nazi camp. The Times describes it as "arguably the best POW book ever written."
His career in journalism began immediately after the Second World War. He worked for the Picture Post, then later became a special correspondent for The Sunday Times and The Observer. He was also literary editor of The Spectator.
In 1958 he moved to television. He appeared for many years on both the BBC and ITV as reporter, interviewer and presenter. He presented many current affairs programmes including Panorama, ITN's First Report and Channel 4's Seven Days. He was awarded the BAFTA Richard Dimbleby Award in 1976.
Kee wrote and presented the documentary series Ireland – A Television History in 1980. The work was widely shown in the United Kingdom and the United States and received great critical acclaim, winning the Christopher Ewart-Biggs Memorial Prize. Following its transmission on RTÉ, the Irish national broadcaster, Kee won a Jacob's Award for his script and presentation.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 10, 2021
As an American of Irish descent and a history buff this book appeared to be right up my alley. The author has produced three volumes which cover the history of Irish nationalism from the Norman invasion (1170) to the realization of Irish independence in the 1920’s. This book is the first volume.
The author is an Englishman but he does an admirable job of resisting any bias in telling the story. Frankly, it would be easy to succumb to that temptation given the sad litany of aborted rebellions in Irish history. The multiple movements toward Irish independence outlined in the narrative all seem to end the same way; disorganized, confused or betrayed from within.
The book is logically and clearly laid out. I cannot attest to the thoroughness of the detail because the subject matter is somewhat unfamiliar to me but it seems fairly comprehensive. I will be reading the other two volumes very soon.
The author is an Englishman but he does an admirable job of resisting any bias in telling the story. Frankly, it would be easy to succumb to that temptation given the sad litany of aborted rebellions in Irish history. The multiple movements toward Irish independence outlined in the narrative all seem to end the same way; disorganized, confused or betrayed from within.
The book is logically and clearly laid out. I cannot attest to the thoroughness of the detail because the subject matter is somewhat unfamiliar to me but it seems fairly comprehensive. I will be reading the other two volumes very soon.
April 13, 2023
Leaving for Ireland tomorrow with a whole bunch new of places I wanna see and the second book of the series in my carry on
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews