In 1933 she published testament of youth, the first of three books dealing with her experience of war. The film stars alicia vikander as vera brittain, an independent young woman who abandoned her studies at somerville college, oxford, to become a war nurse. Testament of youth uk theatrical release poster directed byjames kent produced by rosie alison david heyman written byjuliette towhidi based ontesta. May 31, 2005 testament of youth is a marvellous book and very famous too, so it hardly needs boosting from me. Eighty years on, it remains one of the most powerful and widely read war memoirs of all time. I appreciated the authors sincerity and dedication and this personal view of wwi history. Testament of youth anchored by an extraordinary performance from actress alicia vikander, james kent s testament of youth bears comparison to many other superbly mounted costume dramas backed by the bbc, but this one has a special distinction. Testament of youth a sony pictures classics release. Around her, the muffled, distorted sounds of street celebrations. We did a lot of filming on the beach, which provided backdrops for scenes in the film such as where roland is flying his kite and when he returns. Testament of youth excerpts vancouver island university. The book includes a chapter on the making of the film.
Testament of youth by vera brittain simon potter the coming weeks, thinking faith will contribute to the favourite piece of world war i literature, and well be recommending to you a mixture of popular and lesserknown texts. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. It is a unique look at the war from the perspective of a woman who gave up her studies at oxford to serve as a nurse in france and malta. The film was directed by james kent and written by juliette towhidi. In 1914 vera brittain was 20, and as war was declared she was preparing to study at oxford. Abandoning her studies at oxford in 1915 to enlist as a nurse in the armed services, brittain served in london, in malta, and on the western front. Testament of youth, james kents stately screen adaptation of the british author vera brittains 1933 world war i memoir, evokes the. Aug 01, 2014 testament of youth is a searing story of love and war. The book testament of youth was first published in england in 1933, and its never gone out of print. But never the less its taken 30 years to embed testament of youth in the canon of first world war literature. Jan 16, 2015 veras testament is young again 21 may 2012 at the beginning of the film, vera would rather run away from the lot, seduced by dreaming spires and everything books might teach her. Ebook testament of youth as pdf download portable document.
Vera brittain 18931970 served as a nurse in the british armed forces in world war i and afterward devoted herself to the causes of peace and feminism. Four years later her life and the life of her whole generation had changed in a way that would have been unimaginable. She wrote twentynine books, of which testament of youth is the. Superior download testament of youth ebook pdf free. However, when i began researching world war i or the great war, there were several instances that brittains name was mentioned regarding the description. The most important thing that the reader learns about world. Best of all, if after reading an e book, you buy a paper version of testament of youth. About the author 1994 vera brittain 18931970 served as a nurse in the british armed forces in world war i and afterward devoted herself to the causes of peace and feminism. Testament of youth by vera brittain published in 1933. The classic war memoir deserves a more adventurous retelling.
Its by vera brittain, one of the few memoirs of world war i from a womans point of view. Ms brittains writing reveals her intelligence, intensity, and large vocabulary, and i was glad i read the book on kindle so i could easily look up words new to me. Published in 1933, testament of youth became an instant hit. Her daughter is shirley vivian teresa brittain williams, baroness williams of crosby, who is a british politician and academic who represents the. But never the less its taken 30 years to embed testament. Read testament of youth an autobiographical study of the years 19001925 by vera brittain available from rakuten kobo. In equal measures courageous, tragic and deeply fascinating, testament of youth is one of the most compelling and important works of war literature ever to have been written by a british woman. Simon potter begins with his own testament to vera brittains memoir, testament of youth. Sarah crompton joins shirley williams, brittains daughter, and the films stars on set. Testament of youth travel guide to northern england radio times.
Jan 14, 2015 vera brittains blazing wartime memoir, testament of youth, is coming to the big screen. She wrote testament of youth as a cry of outrage and agony, so that the futility of their deaths would be remembered. A book by mark bostridge, titled vera brittain and the first world war. However, more than eighty years after it was written, there are no doubt younger people who have never heard of it and older people who have it gathering dust on one their shelves a classic, admired, but not read. Click and collect from your local waterstones or get free uk delivery on orders over. Testament of youth by juliette towhidi based on the autobiography of vera brittain white shooting script 03. Testament of youth ebook by vera brittain rakuten kobo. Vera brittain and the first world war tells the remarkable story of the author behind testament of youth whilst charting the books ascent to become one of the most loved memoirs of the first world war period. I confess, brittain is something of a gap in my knowledge. Certainly the stage seemed perfectly set for his leave. Testament of youth has been acclaimed as a classic for its description of the impact of world war i on the lives of women and the middleclass civilian population of great britain.
Vera mary brittain was a british writer and pacifist, best remembered as the author of the bestselling 1933 memoir testament of youth, recounting her experiences during world war i and the beginning of her journey towards pacifism. An autobiographical study of the years 19001925 virago classic nonfiction new edition with new cover by vera brittain, shirley williams, mark bostridge isbn. Testament of youth captures vera brittains innocence. The film was released in wide distribution in the uk on 16 january 2015.
Testament of youth by vera brittain, first edition abebooks. That republication, along with the bbc television series in 1979 really established the book. Testament of youth is a memoir written by vera brittain, first published in 1933, and deals with the authors life during world war i. Between these two books comes testament of friendship published in 1940, which is essentially a memoir of brittains close. It is no accident that vera brittain began writing testament of youth, her peerless memoir of a womans losses in world. Veras testament is young again 21 may 2012 at the beginning of the film, vera would rather run away from the lot, seduced by dreaming. Testament of youth by vera brittain, 9781780226590, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. She wrote twentynine books, of which testament of youth is the bestknown. Testament of youth ebook by vera brittain 9780297859147. Best of all, if after reading an ebook, you buy a paper version of testament of youth. Ebook testament of youth as pdf download portable document format. In 2016, the guardian journalist, robert mccrum listed vera brittains testament of youth as the 42nd best nonfiction book of all times. When virago republished testament of youth in 1978, it sent the book back into the bestseller list again. Buy testament of youth penguin classics reissue by vera brittain isbn.
Vera brittain lost her fiance, brother and two closest male friends in the first world war. Jillian, who blogs at in her books, has suggested a readalong of testament of youth, vera brittains memoir of the first world war and subsequent years. Jul 17, 2014 testament of youth by vera brittain simon potter the coming weeks, thinking faith will contribute to the favourite piece of world war i literature, and well be recommending to you a mixture of popular and lesserknown texts. The book testament of youth, written by vera brittain is vera brittains very own story regarding her life experiences.
Testament of youth is a marvellous book and very famous too, so it hardly needs boosting from me. Brittain, a pacifist since her first world war experiences, prefaces the book with a fairy tale, in which catherine, the heroine, encounters a fairy godmother and is given the choice of having. Brittain, a pacifist since her first world war experiences, prefaces the book with a fairy tale, in which catherine, the heroine, encounters a fairy godmother and is given the choice of having either a happy youth or a happy old age. Buy testament of youth by vera brittain, shirley williams from waterstones today. Jun 11, 2015 testament of youth memorably charts that lesson, earning its cumulative power with a combination of grace and grit that is, in no small measure, thanks to its bright, burning star. Vera brittains blazing wartime memoir, testament of youth, is coming to the big screen. Testament of youth by vera brittain thinking faith. Testament of friendship 1940 and testament of experience 1957.
In 1915 vera brittain abandoned her studies at oxford to enlist as a nurse in the armed forces, serving in london, in malta, and. Brittains memoir continues with testament of experience, published in 1957, and encompassing the years 19251950. Testament of youth by vera brittain and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Testament of youth is a searing story of love and war.
Testament of youth by vera brittain, shirley williams. She wrote 29 books in all, novels, poetry, biography and autobiography, but it was testament of youth which established her reputation and made her one of the bestloved writers of her. Hailed by the times literary supplement as a book that helped both form and define the mood of its time, it speaks to any generation that has been irrevocably changed by war. Fantastic offers on quality books, collections, audio cds and more exclusive to book people. A british woman recalls coming of age during world war i.
Read the book on paper it is quite a powerful experience. Jul 16, 2009 vera brittain was a convinced pacifist, a prolific speaker, lecturer, journalist and writer, she devoted much of her energy to the causes of peace and feminism. In 1915 vera brittain abandoned her studies at oxford to enlist as a nurse in the armed forces, serving in london, in malta, and at the western front in france. Vera brittains world falls to pieces around her as, one by one, the young men of her circle are caught up in the great war. Between these two books comes testament of friendship published in. I hadnt studied the first world war at school even in the 1970s the curriculum was unhealthily naziobsessed. Much of what we know and feel about the first world war we owe to vera brittains elegiac yet unsparing book, which set a standard for memoirists from martha gellhorn to lillian hellman. Hailed by the times literary suplement as a book that helped both form and define the mood of its time, it speaks to any generation that has been irrevocably changed by war. Nel 1933 vera brittain pubblica testament of youth. Oct 29, 2015 does the electronic version of the book completely replace the paper version. What follows are extracts from his article and a passage from the testament of youth s. Testament of youth is vera brittains memoir of her years just prior to, during, and shortly after world war i.
Testament of youth is both a record of what she lived through and an elegy for a vanished generation. Testament of youth captures vera brittains innocence and. Mark bostridge is a biographer and literary critic who lives in london. With alicia vikander, kit harington, taron egerton, dominic west. Testament of youth is a powerful story of love, war and remembrance, based on the first world war memoir by vera brittain, which has become the. The story of testament of youth, was published by bloomsbury publishing on 4 december 2014. Does the electronic version of the book completely replace the paper version. In 1914 vera brittain was twenty, and as war was declared she was preparing to study at oxford. Testament of youth official trailer 2015 hd youtube. Testament of youth is a 2014 british drama film based on the first world war memoir of the same name written by vera brittain. On vera brittains testament of youth, and extract from. Testament of youth is a powerful story of love, war and remembrance, based on the first world war memoir by vera brittain, which has become the classic testimony of that war from a womans point. With cheryl campbell, emrys james, jane wenham, peter woodward.
A british woman recalls coming of age during world war i a story of young love, the futility of war, and how to make sense of the darkest times. Testament of youth movie tiein by vera brittain and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Jun 05, 2015 the book testament of youth was first published in england in 1933, and its never gone out of print. She falls in love with her brothers friend, but then war is declared. Based on the classic first world war memoir, this is the incredible true story of one young womans struggle to survive the horrors of war. Testament of youth is a powerfully written, unsentimental memoir which has continued to move and enthral readers since its first publication in 1933. In 1914, vera brittain decides to study at oxford university.
At first glance this book was not related to military history. Testament of youth and london war notes june reading. Now that my parents had at last migrated temporarily to the grand hotel at brighton, our two families were so near. Testament of youth by vera brittaindiana athill first read vera brittains wartime memoir when it was published in 1933 and found the author tiresomely selfimportant and melodramatic. Jan 01, 2004 testament of youth is a powerfully written, unsentimental memoir which has continued to move and enthral readers since its first publication in 1933. This astonishingly moving account of a young girls part in world war i is such an unusual contribution to war literature. This classic memoir of the first world war is now a major motion picture starring alicia vikander and kit harington. Mar 27, 2014 testament of youth by vera brittain, 9781780226590, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. Testament of youth is the first instalment, covering 19001925, in the memoir of vera brittain 18931970.
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