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I’m happy to note that Emmanuel Guibert’s unconventional WWII biography Alan’s War has been generating a gratifying volume of smart, lively discussion, and this latest contribution is no exception:
Alan Cope is a typical American soldier in that very little about what happened to him is as emblematic of a group experience as the media-driven, popular, collective post-War narrative would have you believe. …At about two thirds of the way through the book, you’ll realize that Alan’s War isn’t a proper biography, let alone a war story, although it can be seen to function that way if you squint your eyes and hold the book at the correct angle away from your face. There are tanks and German and Russians, after all, and even a story or two about moral drift. Don’t believe your eyes, though; trust your inner ear. Guibert admits what you’ll suspect on your own: that the comic is there to capture Alan Cope’s voice.
In addition to being an exceptionally thoughtful and perceptive review, it’s also a lovely piece of writing.
Read it here.
