There is no shortage of works on the theme of World War II. This is understandable: many authors experienced all the horrors of that time. Therefore, writers share their experienced feelings. But stories, novels and tales of the exploits of people who fought with the enemy were created in the Soviet period and on the other side of the Iron Curtain.
These books are practically unfamiliar to domestic readers of that time, since they were not published in the Soviet Union. Famous American authors include James Ramon Jones. His work is worth attention.
The beginning of literary work
The biography of the future writer began in 1921 in Robinson, a small town in Illinois. The boy was born on November 6. Childhood fell during the Great Depression. Subsequently, the author did not call this period happy. Almost immediately after James finished school, war broke out.
In 1939, the young man was drafted into the army. He served in the infantry. They sent a young fighter to the Hawaiian island. Together with his comrades, the guy lurked from idleness in Scofield, learning all the "joys" of barracks. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor ships, an attack on Oahu airfields followed. James was shocked by the number of injured soldiers.
Together with company Jones in 1942 went to the islands of Guadalcanal. He fought more than once with the enemy. Only in November did the enemy realize the futility of attempts to regain control of the Cape Lung airfield. The enemy troops retreated. In the battles for Mount Austin in December-January 1942, he had to act in an impenetrable jungle. The injured Jones was awarded the Purple Heart medal.
Corporal sent for treatment in the United States. In July 1944 he was demobilized. At home, James decided to complete his university education.
The literary debut was the novel "From Now and Forever." A large-scale composition was published in 1951. The premiere was successful. The national book award, the prestigious prize, was awarded to him in 1952. German Wook with the “Kane Rebellion” who received the Pulitzer Prize and Jerome Salinger with the “Catcher in the Rye” were nominated with him. The authoritative jury liked the work of the author, so far unknown to anyone.
Confession
In his debut opus, Jones described his own impressions of the experience of the bombing. The success of the book was easily explained by the fact that from the pages of the book, many Americans who received notifications of the deaths of their family members found out about the last days of the lives of sons, husbands, and brothers. Veterans were pleased that, finally, compatriots would be revealed the truth about what they experienced without embellishment.
The concept of an army or military novel in American prose appeared in 1895, after the publication of the "Scarlet Mark of Valor, " the work of Stephen Crane. Dedicated to the military in the conditions of war, new works became a real discovery for readers in America at that time.
For the most part, an anti-militaristic attitude was traced in all compositions. Faulkner, Hemingway, Passos adhered to this particular point of view. Jones' work was different from them. In his novel, the existence of the "pineapple army" is described, enjoying in Hawaii all the joys of life. The main character, an ordinary Robert Lee Pruitt, had the opportunity to successfully engage in a boxing career before serving.
The guy whole story adheres to pacifist views. However, after an attack on his regiment, this soldier, even after being injured, seeks to return to the fight against the enemy. In the new novel “And They Ran” in a veiled form, the writer spoke about his own life after returning to his hometown.
In 1958, the work was filmed by Vincent Minelli. The main roles were played by Shirley MacLaine, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin. The film was nominated for the Golden Globe and four Oscars. In 1962, James's books were reprinted in considerable print runs. Soon, the writer introduced the new work, The Thin Red Line, to fans.
