Daisy Thomson Gigg

Letters from the Little Blue Room

An Intimate Portrait of World War I

• Broschiertes Buch

Produktbeschreibung

A 'lost' women's classic from World War I, published for the first time since 1916. Letters from the Little Blue Room is a powerful sequence of letters from 1914-1916, from a Scottish woman to her younger brother, who was returning to Europe as part of the Canadian Expeditionary Force, to fight in the trenches of WWI. Published anonymously, this edition reveals the identity of the author, the Scottish-American writer Daisy Thomson Gigg. She is writing from Dunfermline, the hometown of Andrew Carnegie and the base of the Black Watch regiment. Her letters bristle with humour, advice, wisdom drawn from poetry and essays, and poignant tales of life and characters on the home front. It builds toward an utterly moving climax. A foreword by Professor Angela K. Smith sets the book in the context of other women writers of the period. An afterword by Martin Goodman, emeritus professor of Creative Writing at the University of Hull, adds true biographical detail to the characters met in the book, including the author. Footnotes help readers grasp the contemporary details that fuel the real-time storytelling. This is a strong addition to War Studies, Women’s Studies, and the history of Canadian involvement in WWI. It also brings a powerful Scottish-American author to global attention. Very much based on true-life observations and the unfolding narrative of the war, Letters from the Little Blue Room also displays the power of a 20th century master of fiction.

Produktdetails

• Verlag: Barbican Press
• Seitenzahl: 230
• Erscheinungstermin: 1. Oktober 2024
• Englisch
• ISBN-13: 9781909954489
• ISBN-10: 1909954489
• Artikelnr.: 60586572

Autorenporträt

By an Elder Sister to her Brother who came over with the first Canadian Contingent to serve in 'the War to end War.'

Inhaltsangabe

Introduction
11
Letters from the Little Blue Room
15
1. On Returning from Holidays – Nice and Otherwise
17
2. War-Conditions in our Town
22
3. The Regulars – Personality v. Money
26
4. "The Myriad-Handed Murder of Multitudes"
30
5. To Valcartier Concentration Camp, Quebec
35
6. To Salisbury Plain
38
7. Memories
41
8. Our Boys – Part of the Battle
45
9. Women and War. – The Pride of the British Army
49
10. On Friendship and Tolerance. – Enter Bettetina
56
11. Passion – "A Temple Pure"
62
12. On Disillusionment
66
13. Functions
70
14. Spring. – Great-Grandmother Eve. – "Ours!"
75
15. Enter Pilot Me II
80
16. The Hump – And A Cure
91
17. "Ours!" Again – "The Seventh's Farewell"
96
18. Heroism And Heroes
100
19. A Thrashing from God
104
20. Snobs. – National Anthems – On Going Abroad
108
21. Wire to Southampton, July 3rd, 1915
113
22. An Old Maid's Family
114
23. Army v. Navy
121
24. Morality or "Usualness"
126
25. Trees. – The Ink of Fools
129
26. A Creed – Poverty. – Lives Of Great Men
134
27. Birthday Reflections – and a Message
138
28. Another Crusader Goes Forth. – Happiness. – The Gleam
142
29. Bettetina Stays. – "Bread and Roses." – "Not Fallen"
147
30. On Christmas Things. – Toys
151
31. Too Young! – Bettetina's Tastes. – The Poor Press
156
32. "Nuts" – 1915
160
33. The Pride of The British Army Goes Out. – A Prayer. – "Resolve"
165
34. That First Morning Feeling. – On Men's and Women's Giving. – Symbols
169
35. On Art – High and Otherwise
173
36. Hard Lines!
178
37. On "Moral" Writers – The Darkened Streets. – Shortage Of Paper
184
38. Spring Comes Again
189
39. Wire
193
40. On Death
194
41. On Life
197
42. On Going Into Action
200
43. In Hospital – Harry Passes
204
44. A Hero Without A Halo – Mrs. St. Clair Stobart’s Message To Women
207
Afterword
212
Acknowledgements
221
Notes
222