<p>‘Of the avalanche of books to commemorate the centennial of the opening of the Great War, ‘Empires of the Dead’ is the most original, best written and most challenging so far. Mercifully, it is also one of the shortest. It strikes at the heart of the current debate about what we are commemorating, celebrating or deploring in the flood of ceremony, debate and literary rows about the meaning of the First World War today. Crane succeeds in doing so by looking at the achievement of Fabian Ware, who to this day is almost an unknown in the pantheon of heroes or villains associated with the conflict’ Evening Standard</p>
<p>‘Outstanding … Crane shows how extraordinary a physical, logistical and administrative feat it was to bury or commemorate more than half a million dead in individual graves. And he reveals that this Herculean task was accomplished largely due to the efforts of one man: Fabian Ware’ Independent on Sunday</p>
<p>‘Vivid and compelling … David Crane writes exuberant, joyful prose. He is acutely aware of the ambiguities and nuances surrounding the issues of war and death; and that makes this a fine and troubling book, as well as a riveting read’ Literary Review</p>
<p>‘A superb study. The story of the foundation and achievements of the War Graves Commission has been told before, but never so well or so perceptively. Crane brings out the complexities of Ware’s character … his brilliance as a diplomat … and the paradoxes in his achievement’ Spectator</p>
<p>‘The most original, shortest and best written of the year’s tsunami of books on the impact of the Great War’ Evening Standard, Books of the Year</p>
<p>‘Excellent’ Sunday Times</p>
<p>‘Intensely moving’ Boyd Tonkin, Independent</p>
<p>’A beautifully researched and written book, an intellectually honest work of history’ Guardian</p>

Shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson prize for non-fiction. The extraordinary and forgotten story of the building of the World War One cemeteries, due to the efforts of one remarkable man, Fabian Ware. In the wake of the First World War, Britain and her Empire faced the enormous question of how to bury the dead. Critically-acclaimed author David Crane describes how the horror of the slaughter motivated an ambulance commander named Fabian Ware to establish the Commonwealth war cemeteries. Behind these famous monuments – the Cenotaph, Tyne Cot, Menin Gate, Etaples amongst them – lies a deeply moving story; ‘Empires of the Dead’ chronicles a generation coming to terms with grief on a colossal scale.
Les mer
Shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson prize for non-fiction. The extraordinary and forgotten story of the building of the World War One cemeteries, due to the efforts of one remarkable man, Fabian Ware.
Les mer
• Published to coincide with the highly anticipated centenary memorial celebrations of WW1 in 2014. Events include:-Royal re-opening of IWM’s First World War galleries after a £35m refurbishment- Six ‘state occasions’ planned to mark centenary- Delegation from every state school in the country to visit to Western Front- Government has pledged £55m to fund commemorations and promised an additional bank holiday • Massive BBC First World War Season during 2014 – both factual and drama across BBC TV, radio and online – to commemorate the anniversary ‘an extraordinary phenomenon with seismic consequences’ .• This book is the first to tell the story behind the creation of the cemeteries has been told – and it is a tale almost as disputatious and bloody as the war itself Ambition is to make this the book every visitor takes with them on trips to the cemeteries. Visitor numbers are expected to soar over course of next four years. • Examples of present (2012) annual visitor numbers at two main sites – 340,000 to Tyne Cot; 700,000 to Vimy Ridge • Belgian and French Governments are investing heavily in the commemorations and expect huge numbers of tourists •Visitors originate mostly in UK, Canada and Australia (in pure numbers). Large proportion of New Zealand population also visit with widespread interest in the War given its impact on NZ families. • The Commonwealth War Graves Commission is a vibrant organisation made up of 6 partner governments – NZ, Australia, South Africa, India, Canada, UK. They are keen to support the book. Competition: World war one;as good as any man;a line in the sand;black poppies;the second world war;missing;the unreturning army;the first day on the somme. norman stone;max hastings;tom holland;james holland;antony beevor;james barr;stephen bourne;martin gilbert;saul david;paul reed;neil oliver;andrew richards
Les mer

Produktdetaljer

ISBN
9780007456680
Publisert
2014-03-27
Utgiver
Vendor
William Collins
Vekt
320 gr
Høyde
198 mm
Bredde
129 mm
Dybde
24 mm
Aldersnivå
00, G, 01
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Heftet
Antall sider
304

Forfatter

Om bidragsyterne

David Crane's first book, ‘Lord Byron’s Jackal’ was published to great acclaim in 1998, and his second, ‘The Kindness of Sisters’ published in 2002, is a groundbreaking work of romantic biography. In 2005 the highly acclaimed 'Scott of the Antarctic' was published, followed by ‘Men of War’, a collection of 19th Century naval biographies, in 2009. Crane lives in north-west Scotland.