Klik op een omslag om naar Google Boeken te gaan.
Bezig met laden... A Train of Powder (1955)door Rebecca West
Bezig met laden...
Meld je aan bij LibraryThing om erachter te komen of je dit boek goed zult vinden. Op dit moment geen Discussie gesprekken over dit boek. A collection of articles written for The New Yorker covering the Nuremberg Trial and other trials in American and England. Great writer who is difficult to read, long sentences that I had to go back and read again to understand the meaning. I took my time reading this book as it had such insight into that time in history. West reported the story as it unfolded with some incredible observations into human behavior ( ) "Rebecca West is one of the most stimulating and brilliant writers living today. Nothing that she writes can be ignored or treated other than as a major pronouncement on its particular subject. Wit is characteristic of her style; her mind is richly stacked with ideas; she seems to have at her fingertips a wealth of historical allusion; to the reader she appears an expert on politics, sociology, and all the humanities. She is a novelist, poet, critic, historian, political commentator; and above all, a shrewd and lively judge of human nature". (Author profile, from the dustjacket of my 1955 edition of A Train of Powder). Rebecca West (1892-1983) was indeed an extraordinary writer. Her first novel was The Return of the Soldier (1918, see my review) and she went on to write prolifically in both fiction and non-fiction. A Train of Powder — a collection of major essays on the nature of evil — was her ninth book of non-fiction and its account of the Nuremburg Trials is justly famous. 'Greenhouse with Cyclamens', I, II and III was originally written for the New Yorker, and it is magnificent. But there's also a quietly devastating report called 'Opera in Greenville', about a trial of a lynch mob in the American South, and how for reasons we all now know, there was no hope of a conviction. She delivers a powerful analysis of proceedings, without a word of anger and looking at everything from everyone's point-of-view, to expose the appalling racism on public display almost as if to say, well, it can't be helped, this is how it is. And that is shocking, as it is meant to be. But then — having exposed the violence and the extreme cruelty of the crime, committed by otherwise unexceptional men, mostly taxi-drivers of varying ages — she concludes that this public exposure has served a purpose despite the acquittals. To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2020/12/21/a-train-of-powder-by-rebecca-west/
What makes a man a traitor to his country was the question Miss West first put to herself. And the logic, both social and psychological, with which she has moved from the study of cases of treason to cases of individual or group violence, searching out the pattern of defiance of the law which is the common denominator of spies and murderers, is unassailable. . . Miss West's pictures of Mrs. Hume, of the parents of Marshall, of the families of the Greenville lynchers are all portraits which, although shrewd, lack the kind of truth which is finally supplied only by simple warmth and compassion -- the wall of her superior powers would seem to rise between Miss West and these suffering human beings. Of course, if tenderness were also within her gift, it might incapacitate Miss West as a reporter. It is quite possible she must do without this one more talent in order to make such full use of her superb intellectual gifts.
A New York Times bestseller, this riveting account of the Nuremberg trials by a legendary journalist is simply "astonishing" (Francine Prose). Sent to cover the war crimes trials at Nuremberg for the New Yorker, Rebecca West brought along her inimitable skills for understanding a place and its people. In these accomplished articles, West captures the world that sprung up to process the Nazi leaders; from the city's war-torn structures to the courtroom security measures, no detail is left out. West's unparalleled grasp on human motivations and character offers particular insight into the judges, prosecutors, and of course the defendants themselves. This remarkable narrative captures the social and political ramifications of a world recovering from the divisions of war. As engaging as it is informative, this collection represents West's finest hour as a reporter. Geen bibliotheekbeschrijvingen gevonden. |
Actuele discussiesGeenPopulaire omslagen
Google Books — Bezig met laden... GenresDewey Decimale Classificatie (DDC)364Social sciences Social problems and services; associations CriminologyLC-classificatieWaarderingGemiddelde:
Ben jij dit?Word een LibraryThing Auteur. |