Richard Overy
Kill, Kill, Kill’
Writing War: Soldiers Record the Japanese Empire
By Aaron William Moore
Harvard University Press 378pp £33.95
During the Second World War soldiers kept diaries. Not all soldiers did, and not necessarily all the time, since superior officers often frowned on the practice and tried to regulate it. Japanese soldiers during parade inspections tied their small diaries round their thighs to conceal them from the inspectors. American officers in the South Pacific did not always enforce the order not to write on the front line, since they had much else on their mind. Diaries full of patriotic exhortations printed on each page were even handed out by the military to the rank-and-file, but this did not stop soldiers from filling theirs with ambiguous reflections on the cruel nature of war.
Aaron William Moore has chosen to analyse hundreds of such diaries from the harsh combat environment of the war in Asia and the Pacific, using Japanese, Chinese and American examples. He argues that the evident differences between the cultures and political systems of Japan, China and the United States made
Sign Up to our newsletter
Receive free articles, highlights from the archive, news, details of prizes, and much more.@Lit_Review
Follow Literary Review on Twitter
Twitter Feed
Russia’s recent efforts to destabilise the Baltic states have increased enthusiasm for the EU in these places. With Euroscepticism growing in countries like France and Germany, @owenmatth wonders whether Europe’s salvation will come from its periphery.
Owen Matthews - Sea of Troubles
Owen Matthews: Sea of Troubles - Baltic: The Future of Europe by Oliver Moody
literaryreview.co.uk
Many laptop workers will find Vincenzo Latronico’s PERFECTION sends shivers of uncomfortable recognition down their spine. I wrote about why for @Lit_Review
https://literaryreview.co.uk/hashtag-living
An insightful review by @DanielB89913888 of In Covid’s Wake (Macedo & Lee, @PrincetonUPress).
Paraphrasing: left-leaning authors critique the Covid response using right-wing arguments. A fascinating read.
via @Lit_Review