Dalton Trumbo était un romancier et scénariste américain prolifique, réputé pour ses commentaires sociaux percutants et ses convictions pacifistes inébranlables. Ses premières expériences en tant que journaliste ont jeté les bases de son style d'écriture social-réaliste, offrant des observations aiguës sur la vie quotidienne. Trumbo a obtenu une reconnaissance significative pour son roman anti-guerre marquant, inspiré par les conséquences dévastatrices de la Première Guerre mondiale. Malgré les persécutions politiques et une liste noire d'Hollywood, qui l'ont contraint à écrire sous pseudonyme, les contributions littéraires et cinématographiques de Trumbo perdurent, explorant de profondes questions éthiques et la condition humaine.
Few American novels are genuine classics, with a permanent place in our literature. This is one of them. First published in 1939, the story of an average American youth who "survives" World War I armless, legless and faceless with his mind intact was an immediate bestseller. Its anti-war message had a profound effect on Americans during the Vietnam era, and is now being reissued.
“Trumbo sets this story down almost without pause or punctuation and with a fury accounting to eloquence.”—The New York Times This was no ordinary war. This was a war to make the world safe for democracy. And if democracy was made safe, then nothing else mattered—not the millions of dead bodies, nor the thousands of ruined lives. . . . This is no ordinary novel. This is a novel that never takes the easy way out: it is shocking, violent, terrifying, horrible, uncompromising, brutal, remorseless and gruesome . . . but so is war.
A Study of Inquisition in America, and Two Related Pamphlets (Perennial Library, P 268)
Set against the backdrop of the 1940s political climate, this work delves into the experiences of Dalton Trumbo and fellow artists during the Red Scare. It highlights their anti-war and anti-fascist beliefs, which led to their persecution by the House Committee on Un-American Activities. The narrative examines the personal and societal consequences of political repression, including Trumbo's imprisonment and subsequent blacklisting, while addressing the broader philosophical implications of their defiance and the fight for artistic freedom.
Protiválečný román amerického autora, poctěný Národní cenou a filmově ztvárněný, rozvíjí tragický příběh amerického vojáka, který byl na konci první světové války těžce zraněn granátem a jako lidská troska procitá k vědomí, zakouší pocity zoufalství, hněvu i smiřování s osudem.