1948: A Soldier's Tale - The Bloody Road to Jerusalem

by Uri Avnery

Overview

Acclaimed as the Middle East’s "All Quiet on the Western Front"

The first eye-witness account ever published of the 1948 Israeli War of Independence, this riveting memoir of a young Israeli soldier became an instant bestseller on publication in 1949, and is still recognized as the outstanding book of that war, in the tradition of Erich Maria Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front. First joining the Givati Brigade and later volunteering for "Samson’s Foxes", the legendary commando unit, Avnery took part in almost all the major battles on the Jerusalem and southern fronts. Written from the trenches, and from a military hospital bed, he offers an extraordinarily detailed account of the war, of fast-paced battles, and acts of extreme bravery, as well as the camaraderie and off-duty exploits of young men and women thrust into the front line. This is a gripping, sensitive, and at times deeply poignant account of the day-to-day brutalities of one of the most significant wars of our times.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781780744445
Publisher:	Oneworld Publications
Publication date:	10/01/2013
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	400
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Uri Avnery, journalist, writer, and politician, has fought for peace for over fifty years, co-founding the peace organization Gush Shalom. He has received numerous awards for his extensive humanitarian work, including the Alternative Nobel Peace Prize in 2001. He lives in Tel Aviv.

Editorial Reviews

Two moving books by Avnery, originally published in 1949 and 1950, appear here in their first English translation. A former member of the Israeli Knesset and outspoken peace activist, Avnery was the first Israeli to meet with Yasser Arafat in 1982. Fighting in Israel's 1948 war of independence, he sent battlefield dispatches to an Israeli newspaper describing the fluctuating morale of his platoon. As a new recruit, Avnery's enthusiasm quickly dampens, and he reflects on the cruel arbitrariness of war when a comrade dies next to him during their first battle. After another important and successful battle, Avnery writes of how survivor's guilt leaves him unable to face the parents of fallen comrades. In the book's most profound moments, Avnery describes how his friends risked their lives to save his when he was critically wounded. His excruciating recovery is told in the book's more ambitious and controversial novelistic second half, which also suggests that Israel should form an alliance with the Arab national movement. Although written more than half a century ago, Avnery's colorfully detailed eyewitness accounts of battle are still potent, authentic and relevant. Photos, maps. (Feb.)

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Publishers Weekly

A remarkable account of the bloody war for the establishment of the Jewish state, written by a young soldier in the midst of conflict. Now an octogenarian and prominent peace activist, Avnery was a skinny young squad leader in 1948, when he sent unauthorized newspaper dispatches describing the historic struggle to relieve Jerusalem as it was besieged by Arab forces. Published in 1949 in Hebrew under the title In the Fields of the Philistines, the first part of this present book was an instant bestseller. It is stark in its graphic depiction of bullets, blood, fellowship and endurance as polyglot raw recruits, including many who had just endured the Holocaust, became instant veterans. It was a time when scarcely prepared soldiers went AWOL from training to join their comrades at the front line. They were ill-equipped and outnumbered, fighting tanks with Molotov cocktails and machine guns. The life of a disputed new nation and its people were in the balance, so they attacked the combined armies of the Arab world. Catastrophe would result for one side or the other-indeed, "catastrophe" is now the Arab description of those days. Shortly after In the Fields was published, feeling he could be more honest now that the war was over, Avnery began a second work, based on notes he made in the hospital while recovering from severe wounds. The Other Side of the Coin caused a huge scandal in Israel, and it's easy to see why. Included as the second part of this English-language edition, it is a more terrible, more literary work, reminiscent of All Quiet on the Western Front. The pungent motif is sudden pain, grievous wounds and nasty death. Disdain for HQ, looting and wanton killing are common. "It iswar. That means we have to kill each other." Deep in the muddy wadis and out in the dry Negev, it was evil and awful, and Avnery has painted a candid, unforgettable picture of it. His remains a powerful, significant voice. Finally available in English, this skillfully written antiwar text is assuredly a classic.

Kirkus Reviews

"1948” is a tenacious attempt to communicate the reality of war. It has invited comparison to Erich Maria Remarque’s 1928 classic “All Quiet on the Western Front,” and deserves it.

Christian Science Monitor

This is an essential read for anyone interested in the history of Israel and the War of Independence.

The Jerusalem Post

"The two books by this remarkable man are brought together here for the first time."

The Good Book Guide

"This is an essential read for anyone interested in the history of Israel and the War of Independence."-- "The Jerusalem Post"

The two books by this remarkable man are brought together here for the first time.-- "The Good Book Guide"

1948" is a tenacious attempt to communicate the reality of war. It has invited comparison to Erich Maria Remarque's 1928 classic "All Quiet on the Western Front," and deserves it.-- "Christian Science Monitor"

From the Publisher