Severn and Somme [Paperback]

Ivor Gurney (Author), Ronald K. Thornton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 1998

This volume includes Gurney's early small volumes of verse, "Severn and Somme" (1917) and "War's Embers" (1919).

Product Details

• Paperback: 152 pages
• Publisher: Carcanet Press Ltd. (February 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1857543483
• ISBN-13: 978-1857543483
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,013,230 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An honest heart from the heart of England., May 17, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Severn and Somme (Paperback)

While nothing beats actually having seen the separate volumes and read them years ago (since they leave a distinct impression of 'Englishness' in the author's own time), the appearance of this edition was a tremendous favor to those that could not borrow the originals. The annotations are valuable to those studying his work, but the main attraction is the verse itself, which should be much better known as examples of First World War poetry.These poems have a freshness about them, an air of near-naive honesty about where Gurney was and what he was doing. No high-faluting for this fellow! Where in Brooke, Thomas or Sassoon can one find lines like: 'The crumps are falling twenty to the minute. We crouch, and wait the end of it - or us.'Lines like that bring the realization that countless real people, who smoked, played parlor games, and discussed books at teatime, went out into the front lines and faced the possibility of death with unsung bravery.