Presenting the desperate conflict of the First World War through the eyes of an ordinary German soldier, Ernst J???nger's Storm of Steel is translated by Michael Hofmann in Penguin Modern Classics. 'As though walking through a deep dream, I saw steel helmets approaching through the craters. They seemed to sprout from the fire-harrowed soil like some iron harvest.' A memoir of astonishing power, savagery and ashen lyricism, Storm of Steel depicts Ernst J???nger's experience of combat on the front line - leading raiding ...
Read More
Presenting the desperate conflict of the First World War through the eyes of an ordinary German soldier, Ernst J???nger's Storm of Steel is translated by Michael Hofmann in Penguin Modern Classics. 'As though walking through a deep dream, I saw steel helmets approaching through the craters. They seemed to sprout from the fire-harrowed soil like some iron harvest.' A memoir of astonishing power, savagery and ashen lyricism, Storm of Steel depicts Ernst J???nger's experience of combat on the front line - leading raiding parties, defending trenches against murderous British incursions, and simply enduring as shells tore his comrades apart. One of the greatest books to emerge from the catastrophe of the First World War, it illuminates like no other book not only the horrors but also the fascination of a war that made men keep fighting for four long years. Ernst J???nger (1895-1998) the son of a wealthy chemist, ran away from home to join the Foreign Legion. His father dragged him back, but he returned to military service when he joined the German army on the outbreak of the First World War. Storm of Steel (Stahlgewittern) was J???nger's first book, published in 1920. Greatly admired by the Nazis, J???nger remained at a distance from the regime, with books such as his allegorical work On the Marble Cliffs (1939) functioning as a covert criticism of Nazi ideology and methods. If you enjoyed Storm of Steel, you might like Edward Blunden's Undertones of War, also available in Penguin Modern Classics. 'To read this extraordinary book is to gain a unique insight into the compelling nature of organized, industrialized violence' Niall Ferguson, author of War of the World 'Hofmann's interpretation is superb' The Times 'Unique in the literature of this or any other war is its brilliantly vivid conjuration of the immediacy and intensity of battle' Telegraph 'Storm of Steel is what so many books claim to be but are not: a classic account of war' Evening Standard
Read Less
Add this copy of Storm of Steel to cart. $24.30, very good condition, Sold by Marlowes Books rated 2.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Ferny Hills, Brisbane, QLD, AUSTRALIA, published 2014 by Penquin Books.
Junger's first-hand account of World War One combat has been in print for over eighty years, and has not lost any of its power in that time. Unlike other narratives of this period, notably "All Quiet on the Western Front" or, "Krieg," Junger does not seek to either condemn or glorify war. He reports dispassionately, and lets the events speak for themselves. That is what gives his story the impact of an exploding stielhandgranate.
JEB
Aug 16, 2012
Great Read!
This was an excellent first person narrative of a soldier's experiences in WW I. It is a short book but the writing is worth the read. A lot was packed into a few words. I'd recommend it for anyone who likes to learn what it was like from those who were there. Former soldiers and military history buffs will relate to it on many levels - this Vietnam veteran did.
Wellington
Jul 5, 2012
View from the other side
An excellent book! For those who want a complete story of the Great War, this is a must read book. Told from the German soldiers point of view, the reader gets a different perspective of this period of history.
