Theory of War
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First edition (UK)
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| Author | Joan Brady |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Andre Deutsch (UK) Knopf (US) |
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Publication date
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1992 (UK), 1993 (US) |
| Media type | |
| ISBN | 0-233-98810-6 |
Theory of War is a 1992[1] novel by American-British writer Joan Brady. It took her ten years to write but was rejected by her US agent. It was then published by UK publisher Andre Deutsch to 'rapturous reviews'[2] It has been compared to the writing of John Steinbeck, Jack London and Frank Norris[3]
Awards
It became Whitbread Novel of the Year and Book of the Year in the UK, won the Prix du Meilleur Livre Étranger in France and was awarded a National Endowment of the Arts grant in the US.[4]
Plot introduction
It tells the story of Jonathan Carrick, sold into white slavery as a child in post-Civil War America[5] and is based on the life of Joan Brady's own grandfather who himself was sold to a midwestern tobacco farmer for fifteen dollars.[6]
Cruelly treated by his master Alvah Stokes, it is Alvah's son George who becomes the object of a hatred that endures half a century. forced to submit, but never submissive, Jonathan's escape into a new life as a railroadman, then as an itinerant preacher, opens up a new world for him. But within him lies the need for revenge - a war against George, in fact - that must be safisfied[7]
Joan Brady explains "Theory of War is an attempt to understand what my grandfather might have felt about what he'd gone through, and what we - his descendents - still have to cope with because of it.[8]
Reception
Positive review extracts from the back cover of the 1996 Abacus edition:
- It resonates beyond the particular experience of one famils [becoming] an allegory of american society, and a commentary on notions of freedom everywhere. - Independent on Sunday
- Universalises the individual's story into a symbolic parable of human cruelty and its effects... Theory of War achieves a genuine tragic weightiness - Financial Times
- Notably impressive...an elemental tale of hatred and revenge reminiscent of Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath - The Independent
References
- ↑ http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/edition/?isbn=0233988106
- ↑ http://www.joanbrady.co.uk/pages/content/index.asp?PageID=61 Flourishing despite some twisted roots, The Independent, January 24, 1994, By Angela Lambert
- ↑ http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/book-review--slaves-to-the-american-dream-theory-of-war--joan-brady-andre-deutsch-pounds-1499-1471131.html Slaves to the American dream, book Review from The Independent
- ↑ http://www.joanbrady.co.uk/theory-of-war.asp www.joanbrady.co.uk
- ↑ Rear cover of 1996 Abacus edition
- ↑ Author's note in 1996 Abacus edition
- ↑ Rear cover, 1996 Abacus edition
- ↑ Author's note in 1996 Abacus edition
