Customer Reviews

The Face of War

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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.

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

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. &

One of the best war correspondents ever. Although an unapologetic leftist, her writing is simple and is more about telling the story than teaching any lessons.

I can understand why Hemingway was jealous of her. She's the real thing without the bravado and bluster.

She admits to being anti-war but realizes that some wars must be fought.

The "Face of War" is a collection of Gellhorn's reporting (magazine articles) from the Spanish Civil War, WW II, Vietnam, Java, Nicaragua and the six days war (Israel 1967). Gellhorn in 1959 added some introductory comments that were later updated in 1989 when the book was republished.

Gellhorn was a good, but superficial, war correspondent. She knew and cared nothing about Military affairs, and anyone expecting a sophisticated military or Foreign policy analysis of these wars will be disappointed. Her forte was painting "you are there" word pictures of what she saw and felt. She mostly stayed away from combat, so her WW II and Spanish Civil war articles focus on the civilians and things that happened in the rear areas.

Her coverage of Vietnam is brief (she was only there for 3 Weeks in 1966) as is her writings on the Russo-Finish War (3 weeks in Helsinki in Dec '39) and the Sino-Japanese War ( 4 Weeks in March '41 in Chongqing)

I found the book an excellent read, but she doesn't compare as a WWII war Correspondent to such women such as Lee Miller, M. Bourke-White, Marguerite Higgins or Vietnam Correspondent Gloria Emerson. Sadly, all these women had the misfortune not to marry Ernest Hemingway and therefore have been forgotten while the inferior and superficial Gellhorn has been remembered.

The Face of War carries some of the highlights of Ms Gellhorn's long and illustrious career. The stories are excellent and I recommend it highly.

You just have to read the prologue of this fantastic book to appreciate the wonderful writing of Martha Gelhourn. I read it years ago and it continues to haunt me - the life she lived was so real and bold. I think she is, on many ways, one of the finest voices I've heard.

Extremely interesting book. Shows what war really means for the civilian population.
Makes you also want to read other books of this author.