The Norton Book of Modern War

by Paul Fussell (Editor)

Here are moments on the battlefields of this century captured in the words of writers who faced wars in their newest and most brutal permutation. Divided into the First World War, the Wars in Asia, and includes prose and poetry from literary figures such as Rupert Brooke, Ernest Hemingway, and James Jones.

Genres: History, World War II, World War I

830 pages, Hardcover

First published November 17, 1990

About the author

Paul Fussell was an American cultural and literary historian, author and university professor. His writings covered a variety of topics, from scholarly works on eighteenth-century English literature to commentary on America’s class system. He was an U.S. Army Infantry officer in the European theater during World War II (103rd U.S. Infantry Division) and was awarded both the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart. He is best known for his writings about World War I and II.

He began his teaching career at Connecticut College (1951–55) before moving to Rutgers University in 1955 and finally the University of Pennsylvania in 1983. He also taught at the University of Heidelberg (1957–58) and King’s College London (1990–92). As a teacher, he traveled widely with his family throughout Europe during the 1950s, 60s and 70s, taking Fulbright and sabbatical years in Germany, England and France.

Reviews

[Reed Peeples · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read a good portion of The Norton Book of Modern War in college and recently pulled it off my bookshelf again. The selections are relevant, well organized, and reflect a diversity of perspective on modern warfare in terms of rank and class. The editor also does an extraordinary job of providing historical context for the pieces while not allowing his project to morph into a history book.

My most significant criticism of the anthology - and the reason I didn't give it 5 stars - is that it's almost entirely western-centric. The book does address wars in Asia, Africa and elsewhere, but usually from the perspective of western soldiers. Omission of writing from the various African colonial wars is particularly glaring.

I looked up this book on GoodReads in hope that Norton had published a new edition - one that would include writing from the no-less-violent and chaotic 23 years since this edition was published in 1990. It's time.

[Rick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This a magnificent anthology and it is a shame that it has not been kept in print.