Vanviddet på Vestfronten

by Bengt Belfrage, Christer Lundquist

349 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2016

Reviews

[Oscar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really gripping account of the great war from someone who fought at the frontlines. A description of war that really speaks. The book is straightforward and Carl describes the events and his thoughts in a quite platonic way. It is impossible to fully grasp how someone can live through this. The most fascinating aspect is how he feels at home in this situation and wants to get back to his comrades during a vacancy at a field hospital. He describes life in the trenches as partly homely in some instances. With party nights and music performances, even a casual dinner which is suddenly distributed by a gas attack.
This adds to the absolute absurdity of the war. It's horrors are also depicted in horrific factual clarity.
How he managed his life afterward is beyond me.