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How Young They Die
This is a paperback book
369 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1969
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About the author
Stuart Cloete
67 books9 followersStuart Cloete was born in France in 1897 to a Scottish mother and South African father. (His ancestors had come from Holland with Jan Van Riebeck to establish a settlement for the Dutch East India Company).
He remembered his early years in Paris with nostalgia, but the ideal was shattered when he began his schooling in France and England. He never excelled academically and - in his own words - ‘learnt almost nothing'.
At the age of 17 he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant (at the beginning of the First World War in 1914) into the Ninth King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, before later transferring to the Coldstream Guards. While nearly all of his early fellow officers and friends died, he survived four years of fighting in France and, for a while, was treated like a living lucky charm by the troops. He was seriously injured twice, and experienced amnesia induced by ‘shell-shock' which was largely left untreated. In a mental hospital in London, he met his first wife, a volunteer nurse, Eileen Horsman, and fell in love, even inducing a second breakdown with aspirin and whisky so he could see her again.
After recuperating in France, Cloete acted on his compulsion to identify with the land of his ancestors. He became a successful farmer in the Transvaal in South Africa. But as soon as he had established himself and achieved his aims he became restless again and began pondering a life as a writer. His eighteen year marriage floundered through growing incompatibility and Cloete's infidelity.
He sold up and left for England to become an author, leaving Eileen behind in South Africa. He recalled the decision to become a writer as the biggest gamble of his life. But, as it turned out, he hit the jackpot with his first novel, Turning Wheels, published in 1937. It sold more than two million copies, although it was banned in South Africa where it scandalized the authorities with its commentary on the Great Trek and a mixed-race relationship. Cloete was a prolific writer and went on to complete 14 novels and at least eight volumes of short stories.
On the way to America to promote Turning Wheels, Cloete met Tiny ( Mildred Elizabeth West) who later became his second wife. It was not love at first sight but eventually he realized he had found a soul mate. Tiny enjoyed the fruits of his success as a highly acclaimed writer and was his faithful companion until his death in Cape Town in 1976.
Cloete lived through a period of unprecedented upheavals and in his autobiography, published in the early 70s, he pondered whether ‘progress' was in fact a misnomer; it had ushered in colorless uniformity and even the threat of nuclear war. He also reflected on the chapters of his vagabond, eventful and, in his view, incredibly lucky life. He left behind no children.
He remembered his early years in Paris with nostalgia, but the ideal was shattered when he began his schooling in France and England. He never excelled academically and - in his own words - ‘learnt almost nothing'.
At the age of 17 he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant (at the beginning of the First World War in 1914) into the Ninth King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, before later transferring to the Coldstream Guards. While nearly all of his early fellow officers and friends died, he survived four years of fighting in France and, for a while, was treated like a living lucky charm by the troops. He was seriously injured twice, and experienced amnesia induced by ‘shell-shock' which was largely left untreated. In a mental hospital in London, he met his first wife, a volunteer nurse, Eileen Horsman, and fell in love, even inducing a second breakdown with aspirin and whisky so he could see her again.
After recuperating in France, Cloete acted on his compulsion to identify with the land of his ancestors. He became a successful farmer in the Transvaal in South Africa. But as soon as he had established himself and achieved his aims he became restless again and began pondering a life as a writer. His eighteen year marriage floundered through growing incompatibility and Cloete's infidelity.
He sold up and left for England to become an author, leaving Eileen behind in South Africa. He recalled the decision to become a writer as the biggest gamble of his life. But, as it turned out, he hit the jackpot with his first novel, Turning Wheels, published in 1937. It sold more than two million copies, although it was banned in South Africa where it scandalized the authorities with its commentary on the Great Trek and a mixed-race relationship. Cloete was a prolific writer and went on to complete 14 novels and at least eight volumes of short stories.
On the way to America to promote Turning Wheels, Cloete met Tiny ( Mildred Elizabeth West) who later became his second wife. It was not love at first sight but eventually he realized he had found a soul mate. Tiny enjoyed the fruits of his success as a highly acclaimed writer and was his faithful companion until his death in Cape Town in 1976.
Cloete lived through a period of unprecedented upheavals and in his autobiography, published in the early 70s, he pondered whether ‘progress' was in fact a misnomer; it had ushered in colorless uniformity and even the threat of nuclear war. He also reflected on the chapters of his vagabond, eventful and, in his view, incredibly lucky life. He left behind no children.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
February 14, 2013
The story of World War I from the British side. In my opinion it ranks up there with All Quiet on the Western front. The author served with the British army and his service brings a realism not found in many novels much the same as All Quiet on the Western Front. He is a young officer who survives some of the wars most horrific battles and finds himself changed. As in Cloete's book Rags of Glory it provides a window into British society at a time with the Twentieth Century was changing much of what it had held it together. As with his other books there is a love story intertwined into the horrors of war and it's affect on the young British officer. Again as in Rags of Glory the author lived through the period and brings out details of life, clothes, practices that you cannot find in a novel whose author was not there. One of my favorites for its historical details, love story and depiction of the first World War.
September 12, 2015
As novels on the First World War go, this in my opinion should be rated a classic.
From the British point of view, and through the eyes of a range of different characters in various situations, you are truly living in their shoes. Feelings and thoughts are exposed without shame or censor, and even though the details can sometimes be gritty, it is in just the right amount to set the atmosphere for what it was. The small things are rendered beautiful in front of the backdrop of horror, and through the main character, Jimmy, you follow the rollercoaster of emotions and psychological states that the war brought to light. Love, young adulthood and the confusion of battle are all mixed together to create this beautiful record of the reality of the times, at the front as for civilians back home.
From the British point of view, and through the eyes of a range of different characters in various situations, you are truly living in their shoes. Feelings and thoughts are exposed without shame or censor, and even though the details can sometimes be gritty, it is in just the right amount to set the atmosphere for what it was. The small things are rendered beautiful in front of the backdrop of horror, and through the main character, Jimmy, you follow the rollercoaster of emotions and psychological states that the war brought to light. Love, young adulthood and the confusion of battle are all mixed together to create this beautiful record of the reality of the times, at the front as for civilians back home.
November 21, 2016
It's been a few years since I last read this novel. This year would be an appropriate time to re-read it. This was my first introduction to the Great War, of which my generation (baby boomers) has little to no awareness generally. I remember certain passages with a sense that I was eavesdropping on private conversations. One of my favorite books ever.
July 2, 2020
Very graphic re the ear times, and quite believable. But graphic re the sex exploits, and I believe concentrated too much on it. I wouldn't have persevered, but it was recommended to me and I wanted to know how it ended.
August 7, 2023
Highly readable. Anyone who survived this experience and had the energy and will to record it, is a Trojan. Read alongside “The Arrogance of Humanism”, it felt like a case study.
August 21, 2024
A wonderful book, very well written, gripping and horrific. The inner thoughts of the characters are extremely well done. Highly recommended.
March 25, 2025
I've never read a depiction of post-traumatic stress as authentic as Cloete portrays it in this novel. He had to have lived it himself to have understood the psychology of such terror.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews