Date: Sun, 3 Mar 1996 11:26:37 -0500 (EST)
From: Louis N Proyect <lnp3-AT-columbia.edu>
Subject: Re: political novels


I strongly recommend Pat Barker's trilogy about English life in WWI. The 
first novel in the series is called "Regeneration", can't recall the 
latter two.

In "Regeneration" we are introduced to 3 characters: a psychiatrist, 
Sigried Sassoon and a working-class soldier. Sassoon, a noted poet, has 
been hospitalized for refusing to fight. The other soldier is suffering 
from battle fatigue. The shrink's job is bring these men back to "health" 
so they can go kill again. He believes in his profession but agonizes 
about the horror and senselessness of WWI.

Pat Barker writes in a style reminiscent of the early John LeCarre, but 
she has much more interesting ideas. It's a great piece of writing.


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