Forming Words From War

What can a war deliver other than death and destruction?

One of the things it can do is give food for thought to a writer or perhaps force the poet to imagine. Not that I am wooing warfare in search of ideal plots for best-selling war books. But here's an interesting way to look at the First Great War's influence on literature – a war that broke out exactly a hundred years ago.

The two World Wars impacted the subjects, thought patterns and even styles of writers. And to be more specific while limiting the scope of war literature - First World War was the cut-off point in the 20th century's war literature – especially for European literature. For those of us who grew up reading translations of the various European writers, it was hard to stay away from the war novels; as some of them had earned the distinction of being classics while others were as captivating as a 007 thriller. Indisputably, the 1914-18 conflict was far more of a literary event, but when it came to novels and stories of various length, WW1 was one of the more preferred subjects for fiction. During the 20's, 30's and latter half of the 20th century, the war occupied the imagination of so many writers that at times I regret how little I have read!

Interestingly, not long before the WW1 began, war was considered a subject unsuitable for literature and more of a designated subject for objective reportage in newspapers. It was with the commencement of the Great War that the norm broke free of its chains, except in Germany where the nationalist revival between 1800 and 1814 engendered some novels (albeit quickly forgotten) and a great deal of verse, much of it still in print and also contributed to German nationalist sentiment in 1914.

The very first week of the war inspired enormous quantities of poetry and fiction. The claim that some three million war poems were written in Germany alone in the first six months of hostilities may be difficult to substantiate; but according to a reliable count, 2,225 English poets of the First World War existed, of whom 1,808 were civilians. Because of the war's intense demand on the young men of that generation, a number of women contributed to the war literature, often observing the effects of the war on soldiers, domestic space and the home-front in general.

The renowned poet and writer Alfred Noyes, a pacifist, in an attempt to vilify war had published a long anti-war poem called “The Wine Press” to portray its horrors. But it was his “The Victory Ball” published in 1920 that earned him recognition. He wrote it after attending a Ball held in London soon after the Armistice, where he found himself pondering what the ghosts of the soldiers would have said if they could observe the inconsiderate frivolity of the dancers. The message of the poem lies in the line: "Under the dancing feet are the graves.”

In portraying the tormented agony of a soldier: nothing beats Erich Maria Remarque's “All -Quiet on the Western Front” along with its sequel.  The book describes the German soldiers' extreme physical and mental stress during the war, and the detachment from civilian life felt by many of these soldiers upon returning home. Remarque's depiction provoked strong reactions coupled with anti-war sentiments around the world.

Then, almost in sync, appeared Earnest Hemingway's “A Farewell to Arms” – the classic that beautifully painted out a love affair against the backdrop of the First World War.

We had a notable volume of the war's history under the title “The Guns of August” composed by Barbara Tuchman. Together with a narrative, Tuchman included detailed discussions of the plans, strategies, world events and international sentiments before and during the war. Thus the reader may get the feeling of reading military history about the participants in the Great War.

Meanwhile in Bangladesh, an unknown Bengali soldier was deeply influenced by the developments and happenings of the war. His name was Kazi Nazrul Islam. During his less than three years military career the great poet understood his revolt should not come forward through the swords but by the pen. The rebel in him came through in the fury of his poems. Nazrul joined the Bengal Regiment of the British Indian Army and his literary activities commenced from his posting at Karachi Cantonment. His prose and poetry were published in different literary magazines during the war. What a breeding ground for a genius poet and writer!

Opinion and analysis on First World War's impact on English and global literature could go on endlessly, but could it be the subject of a debate if popular chauvinism was stronger or more prevalent in 1914 than it had been a hundred years earlier? My point is that when the First World War began, the literary and intellectual climate was seemingly more favourable to war literature than in any earlier period. Perhaps this is why we had so many poets and writers depicting this manmade catastrophe.

As long as we consider war to be evil, it will continue to have its fascination. Poets, writers and creative artists will continue to write about its horrors and wickedness. Poems, novels, songs, paintings etc. will be composed. Readers will shed tears or be horrified, perhaps both. Inevitably, new writers will rise. The adventure, horror, romance and action of war will be even more intensely narrated than it had been by the writers of the 1914-18 conflict. To end with a final comment: World War 1 literature is full of paradoxes, amongst which the most profound one is it comments continuously on its own failure.

Shahriar Feroze is Current Affairs Analyst and Deputy to the SLR Editor of The Daily Star.