The Face of War [Paperback]

Martha Gellhorn (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 12, 1994

Martha Gellhorn (1908-1998) was a war correspondent for nearly fifty years. From the Spanish Civil War in 1937 through the wars in Central America in the mid-eighties, her candid reports reflected her feelings for people no matter what their political ideologies, and the openness and vulnerability of her conscience. "I wrote very fast, as I had to," she says, "afraid that I would forget the exact sound, smell, words, gestures, which were special to this moment and this place." Whether in Java, Finland, the Middle East, or Vietnam, she used the same vigorous approach. Collected here together for the first time, The Face of War is what The New York Times called "a brilliant anti-war book."

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Martha Gellhorn (1908-1998) was a war correspondent for nearly fifty years. From the Spanish Civil War in 1937 through the wars in Central America in the mid-eighties, her candid reports reflected her feelings for people no matter what their political ideologies, and the openness and vulnerability of her conscience. "I wrote very fast, as I had to," she says, "afraid that I would forget the exact sound, smell, words, gestures, which were special to this moment and this place." Whether in Java, Finland, the Middle East, or Vietnam, she used the same vigorous approach. Collected here together for the first time, The Face of War is what The New York Times called "a brilliant anti-war book."

"A brilliant anti-war book that is as fresh as if written for this morning. Seldom can a correspondent assemble past writings from various locations and watch a clear pattern emerge, yet her pieces fall into place in a grand design."-Herbert Mitgang, The New York Times

Martha Gellhorn was born in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1908. She was married to Ernest Hemingway from 1940 to 1946 and T. S. Matthews from 1954 to 1963. She was a war correspondent for Collier's Weekly of New York from 1937 to 1946 and for The Guardian of London from 1966 to 1967. In addition to her journalism, she wrote seven novels and four short-story collections. In 1958 she was the recipient of an O. Henry Award. Ms. Gellhorn lived most of her life in London.

Product Details

• Paperback: 360 pages
• Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press; Rep Sub edition (January 12, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0871132117
• ISBN-13: 978-0871132116
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #293,658 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

50 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A 20th Century chronicler, September 10, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Face of War (Paperback)

Martha Gellhorn has two books of journalism out, one called The View From the Ground,and this book, The Face of War. She has covered everything from the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s through to the American invasion of Panama in the eighties. She refused to believe in "that objectivity crap" and wrote what she saw. She was that curious product that only America produces: the unaligned radical liberal. She thought that nations should be judged on the same ethical grounds as people, and this was how she approached her journalism. An example of this view is shown in her piece covering the Israeli trial of Adolf Eichmann: "Adolf Eichmann is the most dire warning to us all. He is a warning to guard our souls; to refuse utterly and forever to allegiance without question, to obey orders silently, to scream slogans. He is a warning that the private conscience is the last and only protection of the civilized world."

Gellhorn cut through the crap and got to the core of the issue. She had a cold eye, a tough spirit, and a compasionate heart. She was unflinching in what she said. She reported back what she saw.She thought that the American invasion of Vietnam was wrong, and said so. She was banned by America from entering Vietnam as a result. Gellhorn was a compelling writer, who wrote in a beautiful clear prose. We dont see her type any more, which is a great shame. She was, above all, a great chronicler of the 20th century.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bold, Independent Mind, February 20, 2008

By 

Julie A. Sunstein (Ann Arbor, MI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Face of War (Paperback)

You maybe tired of reading and hearing of war but that is no excuse to miss out on Martha Gellhorn's insightful reporting on the wars of our century. Courageous and fascinating in her own right. Philosophically, I see her as independent, liberal and a pragmatic. She is against the horror of war but that said she is for the people on the ground. Her take on the soldiers in Vietnam runs counter to what we were told. She sees the war as a war of lies. First the propaganda we were told that started us in war, then the lies from the communist the fed into our media releases and the hysteria of the late 1960's.

Highly readable book of her war coorespondence, worth reading in pieces, and I will keep re-reading. ...less...more

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gellhorn--The Face of War, February 13, 2008

By 

Douglas W. Johnson "//DJ's Greatest Hits" (Stockton, Ca.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Face of War (Paperback)

Martha Gellhorn (1908-1998) is one of a small number of female war correspondents. A couragous writer and trailblazer for a womans right to be in the thick of it. Her stories really tell you about the people and how war affects them personally. It's a joy to read with an easy flowing style. She went off to cover the Spanish civil war all on her own with a knapsack and $50 cash in her pocket. She talked to the common people in every major conflict until just before her death. She was fearless both in her honesty and her courage. She also wrote a companion non-fiction book called "The View from the Ground."

I've never read any of her fiction but these two books take all the honors in my mind. She clearly loved the excitement and relivance of war and once said, "Yes, war is horrible but you meet the nicest most honorable people." Her articles are pure gold. Both books are compilations of stories written for publications like "The Guardian", "Colliers", "The New Republic" and the "Saturday Evening Post". So each story has a contemporary feel to it, it seems like you are right there with her. If I lost these copies (I loan out good books to share the joy) I'd buy them again just to have them I my bookcase. &