The Railway Man
(Eeric Loman)
I had the good fotune to be invited to a Book Launch sometime ago in Ireland and our guest writer
was John McCarthy - ex Beirut Hostage and journalist now excellent writer! He filled the evening
with wonderful anecdotal phrases and its good to pick up on his commentary here for this
writer: ERIC LOMAN who was Winner of the 1966 NCR Book Award!
John McCarthy writes /an extraordinary story of torture and reconcilation - I turned the last page weeping tears of sorrow, pride and gratitude/
Is it I wonder time to move on from Hostage Taking, shootings in the head and stabbings in the back! I had hoped so but alas! I was disappointed.
However, I read this book with renewed interest having come from John McCarthy's book launch and .. it is a story of innocence betrayed ... passion .... a story of the survival of courage ...
There Mr McCarthy has indeed the upper hand! His courage and wonderfully calm exterior is enough to inspire even the dullest of us into great poetic outpourings!
Eric Lomax - the writer - was tortured by the Japanese on the Burma-Siam Railway. Fifty years later he met one of his tormentors!
The story about the awfully bad child who teases everyone - or the spitful person who rips the wings of butterflies often springs to mind! We are to love our enemies and forgive those who torture us to death for whatever reason. These days, most people I talk with complain that they are tortured to death by beggars on the street asking them night and day for money! Others get sidetracked by the flooding in of unrequested books, magazines, letters, flyers, indescrible but dull information all posted through the letter box - and always for the previous resident! You are invited to deal with it by ...
posting it at personal cost :
writing back to say ...
collecting it at main post office because ...
so our touchstone for torture is not quite in the same league as either John McCarthy's or Eric Lomax nevertheless I think it worthy of mention!
This book has to be read ... as it echoes much that is important in the art of writing in modern society in the United Kingdom and worldwide! Keep on reading ... A poetic novel ... caked in rust and dirt!
Resumos Relacionados
- A Walk To Remember
- No Country For Old Men
- No Country For Old Men
- Author! Author!
- The Warden
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