a stranger to myself

[Terry OToole]

has anyone else read "a stranger to myself" by Willy Peter Reese ? its the diary of a young German soldier on the eastern front , as he had artistic tendencies its beautifully written and illustrates the changes brutal war brings to a sensitive person ,written from 1941 to his death in 44 its a subtley diffrent view of the eastern front

[Jaegerhando]

has anyone else read "a stranger to myself" by Willy Peter Reese ? its the diary of a young German soldier on the eastern front , as he had artistic tendencies its beautifully written and illustrates the changes brutal war brings to a sensitive person ,written from 1941 to his death in 44 its a subtley diffrent view of the eastern front

Yes I read it over 2 years ago. It was a really well written and moving book. One of the better memoirs I've read.

[WalterB]

I have to be honest, I bought the book and could not finish it. I found his writing to be overly "flowery" and trying too hard to be a dramatic poet. I found his work to be pedantic and a real bore. No offense to you guys, I just could not get into it. It seemed to me his selection of words was too contrived and it interfered with the flow of the story. Maybe I am just crude and boorish and cannot appreciate poetry. That is a possibility.

[IanC]

I liked it - here is my earlier thread from 2006 about it:

http://70.87.163.50/forums/showthrea...light=stranger

Cheers

Ian

[Jaegerhando]

I have to be honest, I bought the book and could not finish it. I found his writing to be overly "flowery" and trying too hard to be a dramatic poet. I found his work to be pedantic and a real bore. No offense to you guys, I just could not get into it. It seemed to me his selection of words was too contrived and it interfered with the flow of the story. Maybe I am just crude and boorish and cannot appreciate poetry. That is a possibility.

The reviewer in the intro was saying how the writer was trying too hard to be a writer rather than a memoirist, but once I got passed that I kind of found it touching.
Leon DeGrelle's style was too over the top for me though. I don't know if it was his old school Walloon style, or his high minded idealism, but he seemed too over contrived and flowery and too dramatic. It reminded me of a French movie at times. But still it was an interesting read due to the descriptions of combat as well as the scenery.

Stranger was much less over contrived but I know what you mean. Still I enjoyed the book cos of the descriptions of combat and the real suffering he went thtough, both physical, emotional and moral.