Status
Available
Call number
Library's review
Afrika, Europa, 1940 - 1945
Bogen følger tre unge soldater, Christian Diestl, er en østrigsk skitræner, som slås på tysk side i Frankrig og Afrika. De andre to, Michael Whitacre og Noah Ackerman, er amerikanere.
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Bogen følger tre unge soldater, Christian Diestl, er en østrigsk skitræner, som slås på tysk side i Frankrig og Afrika. De andre to, Michael Whitacre og Noah Ackerman, er amerikanere.
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Collection
Publication
[Kbh.] Gyldendal 1959. 544s. Tranebog, T8
Description
One of the great World War II novels, this New York Times-bestselling "masterpiece" captures the experiences of three very different soldiers (The Boston Globe). Standing alongside Norman Mailer's The Naked and the Dead and James Jones's From Here to Eternity, The Young Lions is one of the most powerful American novels to tackle the Second World War. Ambitious in its scope and robust in its prose, Irwin Shaw's work is also deeply humanistic, presenting the reality of war as seen through the eyes of ordinary soldiers on both sides. The story follows the individual dramas--and ultimately intertwined destinies--of Christian Diestl, a Nazi sergeant; Noah Ackerman, a Jewish American infantryman; and Michael Whitacre, an idealistic urbanite from the New York theatrical world. Diestl first appears as a dashing ski instructor in Austria, mouthing his loyalty to Nazi ideals. As the war progresses, Diestl's character continues to erode as he descends into savagery. Ackerman must endure domestic anti-Semitism and beatings in boot camp before proving himself in the European theater. Eventually, as part of the liberating army, he comes face-to-face with the unimaginable horrors of the death camps. Whitacre, trading cocktail parties for Molotov cocktails, confronts the barbarism of war, and in fighting simply to survive, finds his own capacity for heroism. Shaw's sweeping narrative is at once vivid, exciting, and brutally realistic as well as poignant in its portrayal of the moral devastation and institutional insanity of war. Penned by a master storyteller at the height of his craft, The Young Lions stands the test of time as a classic novel of war and the human experience. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Irwin Shaw including rare images and never-before-seen documents from the author's estate.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member Schmerguls
This 1948 novel is an ambitious thing, seemingly designed to be "the" novel of World War II--like War and Peace was of the Napoleonic invasion of Russia, or All Quiet on the Western Front was of World War One. It tells the story of three men. Christian Diestl. an Austrian ski teacher, who fights
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one skirmish in France, cuckolds his lieutenant's nympho wife, fights in Africa. Michael Whitacre, producer, divorced, without morals, who goes into the Army in 1942; and Noah Ackerman, Jew, married to Hope, are American. Noah has ten fights and deserts from the Army, but returns to his company. The value of the book is the graphic picture painted of things like a N.Y. cocktail party in 1938, feelings at the time of Paris' fall, feelings in an Army camp in Florida, etc. It is well-written, and hence interest is sutained though action consists in reportorial accounts. Diestl's LT, Hardenburg, is a fanatic war Nazi, and his expounding of the Nazi war line is memorable. How he handles the wiping out of a British convoy unit in Africa and how he gets out of Al Alemain are accounts to shudder and remember. The book revives for me a period I now realize I know not well--the war period. it is a time during which I always followed the news, etc. Yet I have no perspective on it, it is not pulled together. A book like this is good but it doesn't do the kind of job that could be done if it would concentrate on painting news and attitudes, instead of using them as backdrop for the accounts. I read the account of the D-Day invasion on June 6, 1954 Backin 1944 I had heard hints of the invasion as June 5, 1944, was ending. The next morning at 6 AM I got up and turned on the radio--just a few words were enough to tell it was finally D-Day. I turned it off and went ot do chores, not saying a word to my father or siblings. I turned on the 7:30 AM news and all heard. Reading about the event ten years later I first learned we almost lost that day, that much went wrong. I never knew this--they never told us about the fouled-up messes. It seemed easy back on the farm in Iowa. The novel is superficially interesting, but a backward look makes it seem contrived and like "writing.' I finished the book after June 6, 1954, but made no comment in my diary when I finished it. Show Less
LibraryThing member Olivermagnus
The Young Lions is a story of three young men: Christian Diestl, an Austrian ski teacher, who joins the Nazi party; Michael Whitacre, a divorced and immoral Hollywood producer; and Noah Ackerman, an American Jew. The only thing they share in common is that they unexpectedly find themselves facing
The Young Lions was written in 1948 and is very reminiscent of The Naked and the Dead by Norman Mailer and From Here to Eternity by James Jones. Shaw's knowledge of human nature, coupled with his insights into military life provide a rich portrayal of life during WWII. Presenting different perspectives from individuals on both sides of the conflict makes it easy for the reader to engage with the main characters, whether you liked them or not. It also provided a valuable view into the war from their perspectives.
The book starts out very slow and it took me quite awhile to finally get into it. Once I did though, I thought it was an outstanding novel that doesn't describe the glory of war as much as the tragedy. It was both engrossing and emotional When I finished the novel I also took the opportunity to watch the 1958 movie starring Marlon Brando, Dean Martin and Montgomery Clift. Having read the novel, I can't imagine anyone else playing those roles.
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the life altering experience of serving their countries during World War II. The characters experience loyalty and commitment, weakness and strength, anger and confusion, cowardice and bravery, humility, animosity, fear, and love, all vividly expressed by Shaw in a story that testifies to the inhumanity of war.The Young Lions was written in 1948 and is very reminiscent of The Naked and the Dead by Norman Mailer and From Here to Eternity by James Jones. Shaw's knowledge of human nature, coupled with his insights into military life provide a rich portrayal of life during WWII. Presenting different perspectives from individuals on both sides of the conflict makes it easy for the reader to engage with the main characters, whether you liked them or not. It also provided a valuable view into the war from their perspectives.
The book starts out very slow and it took me quite awhile to finally get into it. Once I did though, I thought it was an outstanding novel that doesn't describe the glory of war as much as the tragedy. It was both engrossing and emotional When I finished the novel I also took the opportunity to watch the 1958 movie starring Marlon Brando, Dean Martin and Montgomery Clift. Having read the novel, I can't imagine anyone else playing those roles.
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LibraryThing member DinadansFriend
Published originally in 1948, this book has the distinction of creating several of the standard plot devices in what became a major genre of fiction for the following two decades. A gathering of friends prior to the outbreak of the major conflict and following the fates of those gathered. Not all
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survive, and, of course some become better people, and some become fugitives. It is well written though not exceptional by later standards. Show Less
LibraryThing member Castlelass
“THE TOWN SHONE IN the snowy twilight like a Christmas window, with the electric railway’s lights tiny and festive at the foot of the white slope, among the muffled winter hills of the Tyrol. People smiled at each other broadly, skiers and natives alike, in their brilliant clothes, as they
As the novel opens Christian Diestl, an Austrian ski instructor, speaks with a young American woman and warns her that war is coming. The storyline follows him as he fights in France, Northern Africa, Italy, and Germany. Noah Ackerman, a young Jewish American, is living in California. He is feeling lonely and disconnected when he meets and falls in love with Hope Plowman. He enters the Army and faces anti-Semitism in his own ranks. He is deployed to England before being sent into battle. Michael Whiteacre is a writer and film producer living the “good life” in New York. He is determined to enter the Army as a private but is soon disillusioned, so he pulls strings to get assigned to non-combat duty.
Published in 1948, this book is historical fiction at its finest. It is written in realistic fashion. Shaw was a writer before joining the US Army during World War II, and the story is based on his first-hand experiences. It is a beautifully crafted novel. It is told in chronological order alternating among the three protagonists. The characters are deeply defined, and the reader senses that their stories will eventually converge.
The narrative focuses on the personal lives and military experiences of the soldiers. It does not attempt to address the military strategies or leadership decisions. It is a sweeping epic of a literary work that examines the moral quandaries presented by war. I found it easy to get immersed in the characters’ lives. At 700 pages of dense writing, it requires a significant time commitment, but I found it well worth the effort.
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passed each other on the snow-draped streets, and there were wreaths on the windows and doors of the white and brown houses because this was the eve of the new and hopeful year of 1938.”As the novel opens Christian Diestl, an Austrian ski instructor, speaks with a young American woman and warns her that war is coming. The storyline follows him as he fights in France, Northern Africa, Italy, and Germany. Noah Ackerman, a young Jewish American, is living in California. He is feeling lonely and disconnected when he meets and falls in love with Hope Plowman. He enters the Army and faces anti-Semitism in his own ranks. He is deployed to England before being sent into battle. Michael Whiteacre is a writer and film producer living the “good life” in New York. He is determined to enter the Army as a private but is soon disillusioned, so he pulls strings to get assigned to non-combat duty.
Published in 1948, this book is historical fiction at its finest. It is written in realistic fashion. Shaw was a writer before joining the US Army during World War II, and the story is based on his first-hand experiences. It is a beautifully crafted novel. It is told in chronological order alternating among the three protagonists. The characters are deeply defined, and the reader senses that their stories will eventually converge.
The narrative focuses on the personal lives and military experiences of the soldiers. It does not attempt to address the military strategies or leadership decisions. It is a sweeping epic of a literary work that examines the moral quandaries presented by war. I found it easy to get immersed in the characters’ lives. At 700 pages of dense writing, it requires a significant time commitment, but I found it well worth the effort.
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LibraryThing member kslade
Good historical novel of 3 people, two Americans (one a Jew), and a German during WW II. Pretty good film too.
LibraryThing member leslie.98
I think that if I had read this book as a young adult, I would have given it 5* and it would have filled me with outrage and anger. Now it made me sad and filled with despair so I can't say that I loved it.
As a young person, novels like this were key to opening my eyes to some of the horror of war
As a young person, novels like this were key to opening my eyes to some of the horror of war
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and the unjustness of prejudice. Now as an older adult, I know these things (though thankfully not from personal experience) and also no longer have the energy or hope that society can be made better. Well, I do hope that society can become better - more equitable, more compassionate - but my hope is dimmer now especially that it will happen in my lifetime. So the book just made me unhappy about all the things Noah had to go through while finding his ordeals all too plausible. Show Less
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1949
Physical description
544 p.; 18.6 cm
Local notes
Omslag: Ted Passanissi
Omslaget viser en dræbt eller såret soldat på slagmarken
Indskannet omslag - N650U - 150 dpi
Oversat fra amerikansk "The Young Lions" af Mogens Boisen, Peter Tutein
Der står Passanisi, men alle andre bogomslag er af Passanissi
Gyldendals Tranebøger, bind 8
Omslaget viser en dræbt eller såret soldat på slagmarken
Indskannet omslag - N650U - 150 dpi
Oversat fra amerikansk "The Young Lions" af Mogens Boisen, Peter Tutein
Der står Passanisi, men alle andre bogomslag er af Passanissi
Gyldendals Tranebøger, bind 8
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Pages
544
DDC/MDS
| 813.52 |