Triste la GuerreNovember 22, 2008 This highly dramatic (not wonderful) autobiography covers the first thirty years of the author's life, which were heavily marked by religion, public school and World War I.
Education, religion Robert Graves was educated in a patriarchal system where he learned `to masquerade as a gentleman'. The religion of his youth left him with lifelong psychological scars: `religion developed in me a great capacity for fear - I was perpetually tortured by the fear of hell - a superstitious conscience, and a sexual embarrassment.'
Public school For him, public school was `a fundamental evil' with very few decent schoolmasters, while nearly all the time was spent at Latin and Greek. R. Graves felt painfully `the oppression of the spirit, like sitting in a chilly cellar'. Writing literature (poems) was considered as a strong proof of insanity. He was permanently bullied, until he took boxing lessons. He also didn't like the gay atmosphere where `boys used each other as convenient sex-instruments.'
The WW I massacre The war experience left him shell-shocked. The average life expectancy of an infantry subaltern was at some stages of the war only about three months. Morale became so low that an officer had to shoot a man from his company `to get the rest out of the trench.' All the soldiers wanted, was to be wounded and to be set free to leave this horrible war: `A bullet in his neck. I was delighted. David should now be away long enough to escape perhaps even the rest of the war. Then came the news that David was dead.' The intellectual community understood perfectly what was happening: `We no longer saw the war as one between trade-rivals: its continuance seemed merely a sacrifice of the idealistic younger generation to the stupidity and self-protective alarm of the elder.'
Together with Henri Barbusse's `Under Fire', Robert Graves`s autobiography constitutes a truly realistic report on the senseless slaughtering of innocent youngsters during WW I. It stands in sharp contrast to the works on the same subject by the German author Ernst Jünger who used his huge literary talent to glorify (!) war and his war experience. Robert Graves wrote an intensely emotional and bitter book which is a must read for all those interested in the history of WW I and of mankind.
Outstanding!August 30, 2008 GOOD-BYE TO ALL THAT is the autobiography of the 34 year old Robert Graves, who, at this book's 1929 publication, was a former army captain who served with distinction in The Great War, an emerging poet, and a father, separated from his wife, with four young children. As a Yank, I'm not quite sure where Graves fit in the English class system of his day. But his family was distinguished and comfortable and Graves endured the bullying at Charterhouse, a prominent English public school.
Certainly, the two great themes of GBTAT are life in the British army in World War I and the friendships of Graves, the poet. For anyone with special interests in the war, I recommend Chapter 15, where he describes his participation in the disastrous Battle of Loos, a poorly planned and executed debacle where many senior officers showed haughty indifference to the plight of the common soldier. Those interested in the lives of poets might read Chapter 28, where Graves describes the many poets living in his midst at Oxford in 1919. Meanwhile, Chapter 29 offers profiles of T.E. Lawrence, his friend, and Thomas Hardy, who Graves visits while biking with his wife.
Graves's style in GBTAT is fabulous. This style is very efficient--he never lingers--yet also slightly discursive. This has the effect of building a rich texture around the distinctive theme of each chapter. In Chapter 9, for example, Graves describes his experiences as a rock climber. Here, his subject is the techniques and dangers of this sport, as well as its sometimes eccentric practitioners. But, he also works in a story about George Mallory, a mountaineer who died on Mount Everest, who was a friend and teacher at Charterhouse. This allows Graves to comment on the grim culture of the public schools of his day, where the beneficent Mallory was wasted. At the end of this chapter, my marginalia reads: fluid and very interesting.
Likewise, Graves's voice is also fabulous. Basically, he is an honest observer, always near a center of interest, who is never seriously political. As he writes, he both sketches the traditions of his era while he personifies the aspirations and experiences of his rising generation. Once in a while, there is a dated remark. But even this adds to GBTAT, since it helps Graves summon and explore a vanished world. A great work!
A classic memoir and a classic first-person account of WWIJuly 25, 2008 1 out of 1 found this review helpful
It took me years to get around to reading this, but, "better late than never." For me, GOOD-BYE TO ALL THAT turns out to exceed its reputation. It is a classic memoir by a very singular, honorable, intelligent, and compassionate man. It also is a classic first-person account of trench warfare in World War I (since the book originally was written in 1929, that conflict is referred to simply as "the War").
Graves appears to have been unusually self-aware and unusually honest, both with others and himself. For me, it is that personal characteristic that most stands out. But certainly GOOD-BYE TO ALL THAT is also noteworthy as an account (one of the best ever) of the otherworldliness of war as experienced by a front-line combatant. It also is notable for shedding light on the English preparatory school world and the ubiquitous class divisions of English society in the first quarter of the 20th Century. Adding to the general interest are Graves's friendships and interactions with other notables of his era, such as Siegfried Sassoon, John Masefield, T.E. Lawrence, Edmund Mallory, Thomas Hardy, and Walter de la Mare.
Although quite well-written, GOOD-BYE TO ALL THAT seems to have been written almost effortlessly. There are few marks of labored craftsmanship, and the narrative is relatively informal, almost as if it were being told with wine after dinner. As with the best of memoirs, it is neither scholarly or pretentious. To give one example of its style, I offer the last sentence of the book:
"And if condemned to relive those lost years I should probably behave again in very much the same way; a conditioning in the Protestant morality of the English governing classes, though qualified by mixed blood, a rebellious nature and an over-riding poetic obsession, is not easily outgrown."
i really apriciate this purchaseJuly 25, 2008 0 out of 2 found this review helpful
it is the first time i have purchased a product from internet and ofcourse i had doubts if i came across with somthng wrong,problem.. at first,i was not sure in giving my credit card numbers but later,i understood that there is no neeed to worry about this subjet. in addition,i am really happy to get the product before the date that amazon.com has informed me. i really want to thank amazon.com for sending the book that i couldnt find in anywhere..
Good-bye To All ThatApril 5, 2008 Obviously a must read for all Graves fans and pre-world war Britain. Later chapters will be worth the wait for World War I fans. The reading is clear, fluid, and to the point; making it am excellent reference to the war. I gave it four stars since I am not a Robert Graves fan; although he seemed like a nice bloke.
