This book was first published in 1952, and in this translation in
1954. It is a war novel, but without the heroism and jingoism which
you might expect from a war novel written 50 years ago. Following
the surrender of Burma and Malaya to the Japanese in 1942, many
Allied divisions were taken prisoner and put to work under brutal
conditions to build the infamous Burma-Siam railway which was
intended to transport the Japanese army across Asia from the Bay of
Bengal. This book is the story of a Colonel Nicholson and the
battalion of men he commanded, who were ordered to build one of the
bridges for the railway. At the centre of the novel is Nicholson's
determination to retain the order and bearing expected of a British
officer. His official surrender does not go with the dignity he
planned, and he insists on following the procedures of the Hague
Convention. His resistance in the face of the Japanese officers and
his survival through the punishments he received is courageous, but
the reasons for that resistance seem out of proportion, especially
reading the book today. Nicholson's motivation seems to be to
preserve British order and pride rather than to safeguard the men
under his command; he refuses to let his officers 'navvy' alongside
the men and corrects the Japanese engineer's mistakes to make sure
that the bridge is strong enough, to make it 'a triumph of Western
civilization'. His bravery seems more to stem from a
shortsightedness, an inability to see the larger picture, so that
he does not see that the bridge, his great achievement, is helping
the enemy and against the Allied cause. This is a fascinating
exploration of the value of principles, and a remarkable testimony
to attitudes of the time. (Kirkus UK)
One of the finest war novels ever written, Bridge on the River Kwai tells the story of three POWs who endure the hell of the Japanese camps on the Burma-Siam railway – Colonel Nicholson, a man prepared to sacrifice his life but not his dignity; Major Warden, a modest hero, saboteur and deadly killer; Commander Shears, who escaped from hell but was ordered back.
Ordered by the Japanese to build a bridge, the Colonel refuses, as it is against regulations for officers to work with other ranks. The Japanese give way but, to prove a point of British superiority, construction of the bridge goes ahead – at great cost to the men under Nicholson’s command.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
bundle available
(1)
(1)
