November 11th

[selenak]

It's always a bit odd to observe the various November 11th remembrance day actities in other countries, because we don't have that in Germany; we're remembering on November 9th, a lot of things and for various reasons (it's like the worst and best of German history all happened on that day throughout the 20th century; the end of WWI and the start

Comments

[selenak]

You're very welcome.

[airie_fairy]

That letter is tragic.

[selenak]

It is.

[diotimah]

Thans for the Shaw letter. So sad and moving. I agree on the power of letters - in spite of all the great war poetry (my favourite, as WWI goes, being Strange Meeting by Wilfred Owen), letters and journals always have this power of immediacy, of really taking us there more than anything else can.

As for Remembrance Day, I've been fascinated for years by the fact that in Britain, WWI is still such a strong presence. For the British, it's still the Great War, even now, whereas in Germany, it's become completely overshadowed by all that happened afterwards.

[selenak]

There is a great letter by Ted Hughes about the impact WWI (as opposed to WWII) had on the British psyche in general and his in particular, from which I quote here (his reasons as to why WWI and not WWII are as good as any). Speaking of TH, I found the poem I told you about online (well, one of the three versions) - here.

[diotimah]

Thanks for the link, and for the "Last Letter" - wow, really moving! "But what did you say/ Over the smoking shards of that letter/ So carefully annihilated, so calmly,/ That let me release you, and leave you/ To blow its ashes off your plan", indeed. He must have re-lived that scene over and over again, probably at different points through his entire life ...

[selenak]

Well, according to the articles I read, the various versions of this poem - none of which satisfied him - start with one written still in the 60s, while the last one (i.e. this one) is from a few years before his death.

Alvarez ripped it to shreds, btw. The poem as a poem, and then in additional article TH, declaring that the poem proves he is guilty of her death after all.

[violaswamp]

What a letter. Thanks for posting.

[selenak]

You're welcome!