This series of letters was the inspiration behind testament. A passionate record of a lost generation, it made vera. Photo courtesy of anyone looking for a powerful summer read should pick up a copy of vera brittains 1933 testament of youth. Testament of youth by vera brittain, first edition abebooks. Testament of youth is a memoir written by vera brittain, first published in 1933, and deals with the authors life during world war i. What follows are extracts from his article and a passage from the testament of youth s. It is a personal account of a young middle classed woman at the beginning of her adult life, just taking up a foughtfor place at oxford, thrown into a world war which absorbed and decimated great britain for 4 years. Vera brittain wrote several volumes to document her life experiences, including one. This astonishingly moving account of a young girls part in world war i is such an unusual contribution to war literature.
Vera brittain has 36 books on goodreads with 345 ratings. She wrote twentynine books, of which testament of youth is the bestknown. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 688 pages and is available in paperback format. The testament of youth by vera brittain 1156 words cram. I believe vera brittains wwi memoir is meant to have that affect on one.
Vera brittain arrived at somerville college, oxford concurrently with the outbreak of the first world war. Jul 17, 2014 testament of youth by vera brittain simon potter the coming weeks, thinking faith will contribute to the favourite piece of world war i literature, and well be recommending to you a mixture of popular and lesserknown texts. I appreciated the authors sincerity and dedication and this personal view of wwi history. Testament of youth autobio study 190025 by vera brittain and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Testament of youth vera brittain flashcards quizlet. Available on kindle ebook and can be read on any device with the free kindle app. Free download or read online testament of youth pdf epub book. An autobiographical study of the years 19001925 virago classic nonfiction new edition with new cover by vera brittain, shirley williams, mark bostridge isbn. She wrote 29 books in all, novels, poetry, biography and autobiography, but it was testament of youth. Testament of youth by vera brittaindiana athill first read vera brittains wartime memoir when it was published in 1933 and found the author.
Something about the tragedy and pathos of the story resonates so deeply in me. Jun 22, 2016 testament of youth by vera brittain june 22, 2016 august 22, 2016 books weve read admin leave a comment sometimes the most haunting and palpable accounts of war are not the sweeping explanations of historical background and strategy, but of a singular persons experience, encapsulated in a memoir. Testament of youth by vera brittain devon remembers. Testament of youth, vera brittain s memoir of life, love, and loss during wwi first came to my attention because of masterpiece theater which serialized it at least 20 years ago. Republished memoir of great war remains an evocative account michele roberts thursday 27 march 2014 20. Testament of youth is almost required reading for testament of friendship. Testament of youth an autobiographical study of the years 19001925. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Vera brittain was a convinced pacifist, a prolific speaker, lecturer, journalist and writer, she devoted much of her energy to the causes of peace and feminism. Jan 14, 2015 vera brittains blazing wartime memoir, testament of youth, is coming to the big screen.
Testament of youth by vera brittain on many levels, testament of youth is not an easy read. Mar 23, 20 vera brittain and her brother edward, 1915. Seventeen years later, vera was to achieve her aim with the acclaimed testament of youth. Vera brittain, sheila mitchell, orion publishing group. With the outbreak of the second world war, brittains. The first part of a trilogy, it covers the years 19001925, from brittains early schoolage childhood through her late thirties, in the context of great britain. Medical aspects of world war, 19141918, english personal narratives, personal. In the midst of her studies at oxford when war broke out across europe, vera. Vera brittain s most popular book is testament of youth.
Song talking to the moon acoustic piano version artist bruno mars. Vera brittains childhood was mostly spent in buxton, in a middle class family with limited expectations of young women. This astonishingly moving account of a young girls part in world war i is such an unusual contribution to. Testament of youth is both a record of what she lived through and an elegy for a vanished generation. Vera brittains daughter tells how the tragedy hit their.
The first edition of the novel was published in august 28th 1933, and was written by vera brittain. Before delving into why testament of youth is a book worth committing to memory, it is essential to. Testament of youth by vera brittain books weve read. Vera brittain and the first world war tells the remarkable story of the author behind testament of youth while charting the books ascent to become one of the most loved memoirs of the first world war period. Testament of youth is my choice for the 1930s in the decades project on bookword. I knew nearly nothing about the book, up to and including the fact that it was a memoir of ww1. Testament of youth is a marvellous book and very famous too, so it hardly needs boosting from me. Testament of youth, vera brittains memoir of life, love, and loss during wwi first came to my attention because of masterpiece theater which serialized it at least 20 years ago. Ms brittain s writing reveals her intelligence, intensity, and large vocabulary, and i was glad i read the book on kindle so i could easily look up words new to me. The reputation of vera mary brittain, named a fellow of the royal society of literature in 1946, centers on her achievements as an influential british feminist and pacifist and on her famous memoir of world war i, testament of youth. Testament of youth is a 1933 autobiographical memoir by vera brittain.
Apr 19, 2018 testament of youth is my choice for the 1930s in the decades project on bookword. The main characters of this non fiction, history story are. However, more than eighty years after it was written, there are no doubt younger people who have. Testament of youth by vera brittain thinking faith. If war spares me, wrote vera brittain to her brother, edward, in 1916, it will be my one aim to immortalise in a book the story of us four. Hailed by the times literary supplement as a book that helped both form and define the mood of its time, it speaks to any generation that has been irrevocably changed by war. Testament of youth is the first instalment, covering 19001925, in the memoir of vera brittain 18931970. Vera brittain and the first world war tells the remarkable story of the author behind testament of youth while charting the books ascent to become one of the most loved memoirs of the first world war. May 10, 2015 testament of youth movie clip you got in 2015 alicia vikander, taron egerton war movie hd duration. Full text of testament of youth an autobiographical study. Vera brittain and the first world war audiobook by mark. Between these two books comes testament of friendship published in 1940, which is. Testament of youth is one of the most famous memoirs about the first world war.
Testament of youth audiobook vera brittain audible. With the outbreak of the second world war, brittain s. Testament of youth has had a hold on my heart since the first time i watched the beautifully haunting film. Almost immediately she left the comfortable confines of that most beautiful of universities to volunteer to serve on western front as a nurse in the voluntary aid detachment. Sarah crompton joins shirley williams, brittains daughter, and the films stars on set. It is no accident that vera brittain began writing testament of youth, her peerless memoir of a womans losses in world.
The book shows how the impact extended into the postwar years. Between these two books comes testament of friendship published in 1940, which is essentially a memoir of brittains close colleague and. Vera mary brittain was a british writer and pacifist, best remembered as the author of the bestselling 1933 memoir testament of youth, recounting her experiences during world war i and the beginning of. Testament of youth by vera brittain and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Although focusing on individuals and their relationships, they also powerfully describe the state of the times. Testament of youth by vera brittaindiana athill first read vera brittains wartime memoir when it was published in 1933 and found the author tiresomely selfimportant and melodramatic. Mark bostridge is a biographer and literary critic who lives in london. Writers jeff bhasker, bruno mars, ari levine, albert winkler, philip lawrence. Such interest is set to expand even more in this centenary year of the wars outbreak. Testament of youth by vera brittain, shirley williams. I would not have read the book if it wasnt chosen by my reading the world group, but i am so glad that it was because the book. Jan 16, 2015 all pictures from testament of youth, courtesy of premier communications. She wrote twentynine books, of which testament of youth. Brittains memoir continues with testament of experience, published in 1957, and encompassing the years 19251950.
Published in 1933, testament of youth by vera brittain is a memoir of the authors young life. The story of vera brittain and her own lost generation stands as proxy for us all, whose families lost loved ones in the war and who want. An autobiographical study of the years 19001925, p. Simon potter begins with his own testament to vera brittains memoir, testament of youth. Over the next six years, testament of youth sold 120,000 copies.
In 1914 vera brittain was just 20, and as war was declared she was preparing to study for an english. The most important thing that the reader learns about world. The former a memoir of vera brittain, the latter a biography of her closest friend winifred holtby. In 1914 vera brittain was 20, and as war was declared she was preparing to study at oxford. Jul 25, 2016 kit harington, colin morgan, taron egerton interviews testament of youth full press conference duration. Testament of youth, one of the most famous autobiographies of the first world war, is brittains account of how she survived the period.
Testament of youth film adaptation poster in 2016, the guardian journalist, robert mccrum listed vera brittains testament of youth as the 42nd best nonfiction book of all times. This classic memoir of the first world war is now a major motion picture starring alicia vikander and kit harington. Vera mary brittain 29 december 1893 29 march 1970 was an english writer, feminist and pacifist, best remembered as the author of the bestselling 1933 memoir testament of youth, recounting her. Vera brittain 18931970 served as a nurse in the british armed forces in world war i and afterward devoted herself to the causes of peace and feminism. Vera mary brittain 29 december 1893 29 march 1970 was an english voluntary aid detachment vad nurse, writer, feminist, socialist, and pacifist. Pdf testament of youth book by vera brittain free download. Download and keep this book for free with a 30 day trial. In 2010, i read her memoir again and i may reread it a third time as i also experience these events through the fictional characters of downton abbey. Listen to testament of youth an autobiographical study of the years 1900 1925 by vera brittain available from rakuten kobo.
Vera brittains most popular book is testament of youth. Testament of youth excerpts vancouver island university. On vera brittains testament of youth, and extract from. In reply to this question, the stunning book testament of youth by vera brittain comes to mind. Four years later her life and the life of her whole generation had changed in a way that would. Testament of youth, by vera brittain hoover institution. Testament of youth by vera brittain 9781780226590 booktopia.
Written by vera brittain, audiobook narrated by sheila mitchell. Oct 29, 2015 vera brittain 18931970 served as a nurse in the british armed forces in world war i and afterward devoted herself to the causes of peace and feminism. However, formatting rules can vary widely between applications and fields of interest or study. However, more than eighty years after it was written, there are no doubt younger people who have never heard of it and older people who have it gathering dust on one their shelves a classic, admired, but not read. As the film of testament of youth hits cinema screens, the daughter of its author, vera brittain, talks about growing up in the shadow of the ghosts of the first world war. Buy a discounted hardcover of testament of youth online from australias leading online bookstore. Vera brittains 1930s great war memoir resonates powerfully. When war broke out in august 1914, 21yearold vera brittain was planning on enrolling at somerville. Testament of youth has been acclaimed as a classic for its description of the impact of world war i on the lives of women and the middleclass civilian population of great britain. Books by vera brittain author of testament of youth. Signin to download and listen to this audiobook today. Vera brittain was an english writer, feminist and pacifist, who wrote the best selling testament of youth an account of her traumatic experiences during the first world war. Shop thousands of books, audio cds, dvds, calendars, diaries and stationery, then.
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