A Soldier of the Revolution

by Ward Just

"Ward Just took time off from the editorial page of The Washington Post to write his first novel, A Soldier of the Revolution, the story of a young man who is sent to South America to work for an Ameri"

208 pages, Paperback

First published November 30, 1969

About the author

Ward Just was a war correspondent, novelist, and short story author.

Ward Just graduated from Cranbrook School in 1953. He briefly attended Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. He started his career as a print journalist for the Waukegan (Illinois) News-Sun. He was also a correspondent for Newsweek and The Washington Post from 1959 to 1969, after which he left journalism to write fiction.

His influences include Henry James and Ernest Hemingway. His novel An Unfinished Season was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2005. His novel Echo House was a finalist for the National Book Award in 1997. He has twice been a finalist for the O. Henry Award: in 1985 for his short story "About Boston," and again in 1986 for his short story "The Costa Brava, 1959." His fiction is often concerned with the influence of national politics on Americans' personal lives. Much of it is set in Washington, D.C., and foreign countries. Another common theme is the alienation felt by Midwesterners in the East.

Reviews

[AC · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ward Just, who just recently died, was a reporter for WaPo in Vietnam who gave up journalism to write novels. This was his first. A bit dark and narrow, like Hemingway high up amidst the Andes. Despite my (relatively) low rating, very promising.

It seems almost no one among my friends has read Just.

[Leo T · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ward Just in Latin America. The usual fine writing, expertly done.