Voices of the First World War

​Explore the firsthand literature of the First World War as you take an in-depth look into the lives and work of two of the best known World War I writers, Edmund Blunden and Thomas Boyd.

Note: Registration is recommended, but not required to attend. 

July 11: Edmund Blunden | Undertones of War

In Undertones of War, one of the finest autobiographies to come out of World War I, the acclaimed poet Edmund Blunden records his devastating experiences in combat. After enlisting at the age of twenty, he took part in the disastrous battles at the Somme, Ypres, and Passchendaele, describing them as “murder, not only to the troops but to their singing faiths and hopes.” See event page.

Reserve the book in the MORE catalog.

July 25: Thomas Boyd | Through the Wheat

Thomas Alexander Boyd was a 1920's Lost Generation writer and contemporary of Sinclair Lewis, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Ernest Hemingway. Through the Wheat depicts the horrors of World War I, the first modern war fought in trenches with mustard gas, artillery, and tanks. Thomas Boyd brings home the psychological damage done to men under extreme pressure fighting for their lives thousands of miles from home.

Reserve the book in the MORE catalog.

About the Presenter

​​The programs are presented by Professor Frank Fucile, scholar of modern literature, military history, and media studies. Frank currently teaches in the UW–Eau Claire English Department.

This program series is funded in part by the Elizabeth Morris grant, in partnership with UW–Eau Claire.