That Neutral Island
By (Author) Clair Wills
Faber & Faber
Faber & Faber
1st February 2008
7th February 2008
Main
United Kingdom
General
Non Fiction
Second World War
Modern warfare
Social and cultural history
940.5335
Winner of ACIS Michael J. Durkan Prize for Books on Language and Culture 2007
Paperback
512
Width 125mm, Height 197mm, Spine 30mm
393g
Of the countries that remained neutral during the Second World War, none was more controversial than Ireland, with accusations of betrayal and hypocrisy poisoning the media.
Where previous histories of Ireland in the war years have focused on high politics, That Neutral Island mines deeper layers of experience bringing to life the atmosphere of a country forced to do without much of its modern technology wihilst living under rationing, heavy censorship and the threat of invasion, unearthing the motivations of those thousands who left Ireland to fight in the British forces and showing how ordinary people tried to make sense of the Nazi threat through the lens of antagonism to Britain.
"'Revelatory.' Irish Times"
Clair Wills is Professor of Irish Literature at Queen Mary, University of London. Her previous books include a study of Paul Muldoon. She is an editor of The Field Day Anthology of Irish Literature.