Memoirs the Great War from Britain, France and Germany

In the years following the Great War of 1914-18 numerous memoirs of the war were published in Britain, France and Germany, some becoming bestsellers. This talk by Jerry Palmer explores some of the most significant, such as Blunden’s Undertones of War, Barbusse’s Under Fire and Jünger’s Storm of Steel and how they contributed to the collective memory and opinion of the war.

The talk looks at the texts as autobiography and historical reporting, as fact sometimes blurred with fiction. It also considers the works by soldiers, nurses, civilians and dissenters.

Jerry Palmer is the author of Memories from the Front Line: Memoirs and Meanings of The Great War from Britain, France and Germany, which follows six other books and many articles on popular culture and the mass media. He is former books editor for Time Out magazine, Professor of Communications, London Metropolitan University and Visiting Professor of Sociology, City University.