Lads: Love Poetry of the Trenches

by Martin Taylor

This anthology of World War I poetry testifies to the flowering of an extraordinary emotion, conceived and sustained in the most unlikely circumstances. The fragments of love, compassion, courage and endurance contained here still have relevance for us today.

Genres: Poetry, World War I

256 pages, Paperback

First published April 10, 1989

Reviews

[Liam Ostermann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating examination of the strong homo-erotic element within the poetry of Sasson, Owen and many others who experienced and were changed by WWI on the western front (this is anthology of English poets - it would be interesting to know what parallels, if any exist, with poems produced at the same time by German, French, Italian or any of the combatants of that dreadful war) and the links with the post-Wildean legacy. I am not great reader of poetry and claim no literary credentials for judging poems but this is the second time I have read these poems and they are as moving as ever. Knowing what horrors lay behind their creation I don't think I could judge them as good or bad. I am just grateful they exist.

[bluejay_07 · Rating 5 out of 5]

*muffled gay shrieking*

[Jiayuan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Martin Taylor has written a moving introduction of what life was like during The Great War for the various poets featured in this wonderful collection. This anthology is worth reading for Taylor's introduction alone. The poems collected here are divided by theme, and not chronologically, but I think Taylor has done an excellent job of divvying the poems up this way. Each theme is introduced by a chosen excerpt from various primary writings, such as Sassoon writing re his emotions when finding out of Owen's death for the ending theme. An excellent addition to any poetry collection.

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

This compilation was fantastic. It truly demonstrated the homoerotic element that underlines the poetry (and literature) of the Great War. One of the strongest points of this book, however, is the essay by Taylor that prefaces it all on the nature of such poetry of the War. This essay, in fact, might be my favorite part of the anthology and certainly ties it all together.

[Lisa Dornell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really wonderful book, most especially for the exceptionally informative forward by the late Martin Taylor. The major war poets (Owen, Sassoon, etc.) are there but many are by war poets you may not have heard of. It's a fascinating exploration on both homo-erotic (represented by idealized love of strong, young men in general) and homosexual (poems written about a particular individual.)