The Raft and Socrates Asks Why

by Eric Linklater

Are the people of Britain capable of serving the new world, of writing with honour a new chapter of history? The answer, conclusively, is Yes.... But Socrates, in the third of the pieces, has still to be satisfied that the Allies are truly conscious of their purpose. A four-fold rule of law is not enough: the peace within that rule must not be an idle peace, but creative. If that is not explicitly our intention and desire, then why are we fighting?" The Raft and Socrates Asks Why are imaginary conversations revolving around the political and military problems of WWII.

The Raft is set in the mid-Atlantic, where six survivors from a torpedoed ship discuss the position of Britain and the difficulties and moral dilemmas of a soldier life. Socrates Asks Why is a conversation between Socrates, Voltaire, Johnson and Lincoln where the Allies' aim of peace and ending of the war is discussed and questioned. These conversations were first published in 1942.

124 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1942

About the author

Eric Robert Russell Linklater was a Welsh-born Scottish writer of novels and short stories, military history, and travel books. For The Wind on the Moon, a children's fantasy novel, he won the 1944 Carnegie Medal from the Library Association for the year's best children's book by a British subject.

Reviews

[Raya Dash · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating (his Socrates is a bit anemic and non inspiring, though)!