These essays explore the relationship between history and artistic form during the 1940s. The essays cover a comprehensive range of issues, including the Blitz, spying, demobilization, traumatic loss, nostalgia for the pre-war years, addiction, and the formation of sexual identity. The writings of both well-known and neglected authors are discussed in detail.

This collection of essays explores the strange and intense relationship between history and artistic form during the 1940s. The essays cover a comprehensive range of issues, including the Blitz, spying, demobilisation, traumatic loss, nostalgia for the pre-war years, addiction, and the formation of sexual identity. The writings of both well-known and neglected authors are discussed in detail.