Theory of War
Encyclopedia
Theory of War is a 1992 novel by American author Joan Brady
. It took her ten years to write but was rejected by her US agent. It was then published by UK publisher Andre Deutsch
to 'rapturous reviews' It has been compared to the writing of John Steinbeck
, Jack London
and Frank Norris
in France and was awarded a National Endowment of the Arts grant in the US.. It has been compared to the work of John Steinbeck
, Jack London
and Frank Norris
Joan Brady explains "Theory of War is an attempt to understand what my grandfather might have felt about what he'd gone through, and what we - his descendents - still have to cope with because of it.
Joan Brady
Joan Brady is a writer. She is the first woman, and so far the only American, to win the prestigious Whitbread Book of the Year Award. Other winners include Seamus Heaney and Ted Hughes.-Personal life:...
. It took her ten years to write but was rejected by her US agent. It was then published by UK publisher Andre Deutsch
André Deutsch
André Deutsch was a British publisher.After having learned the business of publishing working for Francis Aldor with whom he was interned in the Isle of Man during the Second World War and who had introduced him to the industry, André Deutsch left Aldor's employment after a few months to continue...
to 'rapturous reviews' It has been compared to the writing of John Steinbeck
John Steinbeck
John Ernst Steinbeck, Jr. was an American writer. He is widely known for the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Grapes of Wrath and East of Eden and the novella Of Mice and Men...
, Jack London
Jack London
John Griffith "Jack" London was an American author, journalist, and social activist. He was a pioneer in the then-burgeoning world of commercial magazine fiction and was one of the first fiction writers to obtain worldwide celebrity and a large fortune from his fiction alone...
and Frank Norris
Frank Norris
Benjamin Franklin Norris, Jr. was an American novelist, during the Progressive Era, writing predominantly in the naturalist genre. His notable works include McTeague , The Octopus: A Story of California , and The Pit .-Life:Frank Norris was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1870...
Awards
It became Whitbread Novel of the Year and Book of the Year in the UK, won the Prix du Meilleur Livre ÉtrangerPrix du Meilleur Livre Étranger
The Prix du Meilleur Livre Étranger is a French literary prize created in 1948. It is awarded yearly in two categories: Novel and Essay for books translated in to French.- Prix du Meilleur livre étranger — Novel :* 2010: Gonçalo M...
in France and was awarded a National Endowment of the Arts grant in the US.. It has been compared to the work of John Steinbeck
John Steinbeck
John Ernst Steinbeck, Jr. was an American writer. He is widely known for the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Grapes of Wrath and East of Eden and the novella Of Mice and Men...
, Jack London
Jack London
John Griffith "Jack" London was an American author, journalist, and social activist. He was a pioneer in the then-burgeoning world of commercial magazine fiction and was one of the first fiction writers to obtain worldwide celebrity and a large fortune from his fiction alone...
and Frank Norris
Frank Norris
Benjamin Franklin Norris, Jr. was an American novelist, during the Progressive Era, writing predominantly in the naturalist genre. His notable works include McTeague , The Octopus: A Story of California , and The Pit .-Life:Frank Norris was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1870...
Plot introduction
It tells the story of Jonathan Carrick, sold into white slavery as a child in post-Civil War America and is based on the life of Joan Brady's own grandfather who himself was sold to a midwestern tobacco farmer for fifteen dollars.Cruelly treated by his master Alvah Stokes, it is Alvah's son George who becomes the object of a hatred that endures half a century. forced to submit, but never submissive, Jonathan's escape into a new life as a railroadman, then as an itinerant preacher, opens up a new world for him. But within him lies the need for revenge - a war against George, in fact - that must be safisfied
Joan Brady explains "Theory of War is an attempt to understand what my grandfather might have felt about what he'd gone through, and what we - his descendents - still have to cope with because of it.
Reception
Positive review extracts from the back cover of the 1996 Abacus edition:- It resonates beyond the particular experience of one famils [becoming] an allegory of american society, and a commentary on notions of freedom everywhere. - Independent on Sunday
- Universalises the individual's story into a symbolic parable of human cruelty and its effects... Theory of War achieves a genuine tragic weightiness - Financial TimesFinancial TimesThe Financial Times is an international business newspaper. It is a morning daily newspaper published in London and printed in 24 cities around the world. Its primary rival is the Wall Street Journal, published in New York City....
- Notably impressive...an elemental tale of hatred and revenge reminiscent of Steinbeck's The Grapes of WrathThe Grapes of WrathThe Grapes of Wrath is a novel published in 1939 and written by John Steinbeck, who was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1940 and the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1962....
- The IndependentThe IndependentThe Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
External links
- Long revenge of the bounden boy review from The Independent on Sunday