John Verney

(Author)

A Dinner of HerbsPaperback, 15 January 2019

A Dinner of Herbs
Qty
1
Turbo
Ships in 2 - 3 days
In Stock
Free Delivery
Cash on Delivery
15 Days
Free Returns
Secure Checkout
Buy More, Save More
Print Length
250 pages
Language
English
Publisher
Paul Dry Books
Date Published
15 Jan 2019
ISBN-10
158988132X
ISBN-13
9781589881327

Description

[Going to the Wars and A Dinner of Herbs] have charm and high literary quality and are testaments to the art of self-deprecation and a world in which memoirists drew attention to the people they knew rather than to themselves. Verney had, at times, a taxing and dangerous war, but to read his accounts of it, one might think he was merely an observer. They are marvelously entertaining reads, not least because they open up to us a world that has just passed from view; and they speak to us in a voice we understand, but that is no longer entirely familiar.―The New Criterion

In 1943, after parachuting into Sardinia to raid a German airfield, John Verney and several of his comrades from the British irregular forces were captured and sent to a POW camp in Italy's Abruzzo region. As the Allies attempted to retake the country, Verney and two others made their escape. For months, they survived on the generosity and bravery of the local Italians who fed them and kept them hidden in haylofts and mountain caves--despite the scarcity of resources and the dangers they themselves faced by harboring English soldiers.

Twenty years after the war, Verney revisited the scenes of his imprisonment and escape, and the result is both an enchanting evocation of Southern Italy and an exhilarating story of wartime daring. He recounts the ironic upsides of being a prisoner of war ("for the first time in four long years, I was free to do entirely what I wanted, which was to read as much as possible and try to learn to draw and write") as well as the anxiety aroused by the possibility of attempting an escape. He describes the extremes of boredom, hunger, discomfort, and mutual irritation that he and his companions faced after their escape, and the immense capacity for tolerance and goodness that they discovered in each other--and especially in the desperately poor Italian families who helped them. Verney writes with a deceptive ease and wit, which reveals a subtlety and a candor that make this book as penetrating as it is delightful.

Product Details

Author:
John Verney
Book Format:
Paperback
Country of Origin:
US
Date Published:
15 January 2019
Dimensions:
21.34 x 13.97 x 1.52 cm
ISBN-10:
158988132X
ISBN-13:
9781589881327
Language:
English
Pages:
250
Publisher:
Weight:
272.16 gm

Related Categories


Need Help?
+971 6 731 0280
support@gzb.ae

About UsContact UsPayment MethodsFAQsShipping PolicyRefund and ReturnTerms of UsePrivacy PolicyCookie Notice

VisaMastercardCash on Delivery

© 2024 White Lion General Trading LLC. All rights reserved.