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The Beauty and the Sorrow

An Intimate History of the First World War
by Peter Englund
The Beauty and the Sorrow: An Intimate History of the First World War. Knopf. Nov. 2011. c.512p. tr. from Swedish by Peter Graves. illus. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780307593863. $35. HIST
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Englund (The Battle That Shook Europe), a Swedish historian, gives us an intimate "anti-history" generated from the feelings, experiences, and moods of 20 men and women of widely ranging nationalities, ages, and wartime occupations, selected from available published primary sources. The narrative reads chronologically, often paraphrasing the individuals' words, but with actual quotations as well. The effect is riveting, as the entries—contrived from letters, diaries, and memoirs—offer glimpses into the daily lives of schoolchildren, mothers, nurses, infantrymen, pilots, and civilians as they subjectively process events across the whole theater of war and survival.
VERDICT Englund adds a rich representation of voice and an opportunity for empathy not found in most studies of World War I. Although the stories seem stacked too dramatically, this is still a rewarding read.
Reviewed by Ben Malczewski, Ypsilanti Dist. Lib., MI , Oct 15, 2011
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