I absolutely loved this. Steinbeck's amazing talent for telling his readers incredibly profound things by describing small details really gives you a sense of people's experiences during the the war. Shame it's so censored but that's kind of fascinating in itself.

This was kind of slow to get into for me but once I was flowing with the vignettes this became a wonderful story. Steinbeck really shows the joy, heartache, scary-ness, toughness and nuance of war and I would recommend this to everyone

3.5/5⭐

Magnifique. En passe de devenir une de mes collections de témoignages de la WW2 favorite avec The Good War. L'empathie de Steinbeck couplée à son génie littéraire.

Daha önce hiç John Steinbeck okumamıştım ama Fareler ve İnsanlar kitabını okuma listemde tutuyordum. Ne zaman kitap siparişi versem almakla almamak arasında kalıyordum. Bu aralar canım İkinci Dünya Savaşı ile ilgili kitaplar okumak istiyor bu da yazarımızın o dönemlerde yaşadığı olayları anı şeklinde yazdığı kitabı. Kitanı savaş döneminden sonra yayınlatarak bei biraz şaşırtsa da bence iyi bir anı kitabıydı. Okuması keyifliydi. Savaşta anlatılan şeylerde rahatsız edici noktalar çok ama çok vardı. Bunları görmezden gelmemiz yaşanmadığı anlamına gelmiyor. Yaşanmış bunca acıya ve yaşanacak olan bunca acıya rağmen biz yaşamaya gülmeye devam ediyoruz. Yaşamaya gülmeye devam edeceğiz.

An engaging, personal collection of war correspondent reports from many locations: England, Africa, Algiers, etc. Steinbeck's excellent writing and humane concern for the participants from raiding parties to ground crews make this a unique view into allied military of WW II.

"Ay gökyüzünde asılı kalmış, batmaktan hepten vazgeçmiş gibi..."

İkinci Dünya Savaşı hikayeleri...

A fost odata un razboi, de John Steinbeck, a 15-a de la acest AUTENTIC SCRIITOR, a 33-a din 2024.

Actiunea se desfasoara in 1943.

Oamenii care au fost in razboi, nu vorbesc despre razboi si autorul explica si de ce se intampla asta.

Despre razboi vorbesc mult mai mult oamenii de acasa, care nu sunt implicati direct.

Eroii de razboi nu au uniforme stralucitoare si nici nu vorbesc mult, ci mai degraba sunt flendurosi si tacuti, vorbesc in soapta si politicos, dar amenintati, pot fi foarte belicosi.

Mereu raman lucrurile marunte tinute minte, de exemplu: o batranica vindea levantica in timp ce cadeau bombe, “levantica pentru noroc”.

Unui om i-a fost omorata toata familia si casa distrusa, dar a salvat un balansoar.
Il lua cu el peste tot, nu statea pe el, ci pe langa.

Reprezentatiile de teatru de pe vasele care aduceau trupele erau aclamate indiferent ca erau bune sau rele, aveau nevoie de divertisment, toti oamenii voiau ca spectacolul sa fie bun, incurajau artistii.

Autorul scrie despre Cantecul “Lili Marlene”, infiltrat in toate armatele participante la razboi si povestea lui.

Este si povestea lui Bob Hope, comediant, care face 4-5 spectacole pe zi, de cand a inceput razboiul, este cel mai asteptat om peste tot.

Este si povestea lui Big Train Mulligan, care este fabuloasa, stie sa se descurce oriunde, fara a face prea mult efort si fara a accepta prea multe responsabilitati.

Da, incredibila carte, in acelasi stil caracteristic lui John Steinbeck, foarte descriptiv si cu mult suflet, autentic.

Imediat o incep pe urmatoarea de la el!

“In the dullness all kinds of emphases change. Even the instinct for self preservation is dulled so that a man may do things which are called heroic when actually his whole fabric of reaction is changed.”

نمیتونم توصیف کنم که با این کتاب چه احساساتی رو تجربه کردم
جان اشتاین بک در این کتاب وقایع رو یک جوری میبنه و توصیف میکنه که هر کسی قادر به درک اون منظر و دیدگاه نیست
جوری که انسانهایی که زندگی رو میفهمند این منظرگاه رو تجربه کردن فقط

A good read.

But really, the introduction is the best thing about it. An older, more accomplished writer looking back and commenting about the process of covering a war as a journalist during "war time." Much different than looking at the war in retrospect.

There are a few standout chapters, but I don't think Steinbeck was well suited to this type of writing. He struggles to add some levity at times (and he is a great comic writer) and in general seems to have a hard time finding his voice. Ironically, the strongest pieces are his earliest. Perhaps the looming future is more his terrain than the gritty present as he is first stationed with men in England preparing for an invasion.

While I prefer this to the Ernie Pyle book I read last summer. Pyle knew what he was about. Steinbeck was still finding that out here.

This was a great look at World War 2, not the usual battles and politicians and generals but a look at the war from the eye level of the troops by a superb writer. It was almost like slice of life stories, some of the most compelling for me was a scene in a movie theater during the blitz. I'd seen the movie that was playing comfortably at home and not under bombing, a section on Bob Hope was easily the most patriotic. A few funny pieces "Germans fight for world domination and the English for the defense of England, the Americans fight for souvenirs." and a version of Santa that delivers Scotch to a thirsty press corp.