Comrade Heart: A Life of Randall Swingler

by Andy Croft

This is the extraordinary story of the English poet Randall Swingler, godson of the Archbishop of Canterbury, communist, librettist, publisher, propagandist, poet and war-hero. It is a book about the Second World War and the story of the African and Italian campaigns, recorded uniquely through the eyes of the ordinary soldier. It is a case study of the intellectual consequences of the Cold War in Britain, McCarthyism and Zhdanovism. Croft's retelling of Randall Swingler's life from comfortable childhood and public school through to crushing penury will appeal to cultural, political and literary historians.

301 pages, Hardcover

First published November 8, 2003

About the author

Andy is an expert in his field and has written more than 30 books about sport for Hodder. He teaches poetry and creative writing classes, and has also written bios of Sol Campbell, Amir Khan, Lewis Hamilton and Kelly Holmes for Barrington Stoke. He lives in Middlesbrough.