THE MEANING OF TREASON

by Rebecca West ‧ RELEASE DATE: Dec. 1, 1947

The publication of the first Rebecca West since Grey Lamb and Black Falcon is a literary event, and her admirers, while perhaps not large in numbers, are significant in the influence they wield. This book is not aimed at big sales; but its importance is out of proportion to the seeming value of its content. For here- in a brilliant reporting of some of England's outstanding treason trials- is the philosophy of the meaning of betrayal, the basic tenets of loyalty, the factors in society and humanity that gave birth to the forms of treason represented by such figures as William Joyce (better known as Lord Haw Haw); of Alan Nunn May, of John Amery, of Norman Baillie- Stewart, of Kenneth Edward, of Stoker Rose. Each one becomes an individual, each one expresses some phase or other of the ills of humanity. The quality of the British fascists, the Mosely followers -- the steps of Nazi penetration and the use they put their tools, the degradation in the office of propaganda -- the forming of the British Free Corps to fight their fellow Britishers, a corps drawn from the prisoner of war camps- the mental unbalance, rooted in childhood insecurities, of many of the traitors- the scorn in which some of them were held by the Germans. Here are some of the instruments by which nations are enslaved -- ""traitors incidentally, gangsters essentially"". The courtroom scenes are unforgettable --and no two are alike. But the permanent value of the book lies in the study of the factors behind the various forms treason took; and in the brilliance of the style. A book for the long haul.

Pub Date: Dec. 1, 1947

ISBN: 1453207252

Page Count: -

Publisher: Viking

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 1947

Categories: FICTION