.
Shattered Glory by Matthew Wright

Shattered Glory provides readers with a powerful picture of Gallipoli and the Western Front during the First World War. It shows in vivid form what life was like for those NZ soldiers that lived and died through the campaigns.

The Gallipoli campaign of 1915 destroyed New Zealand’s fantasies of war. The soldiers suddenly found it not to be such a glorious schoolboy adventure or akin to a sports tour but a perilous place from which many wouldn’t ever return. The Western Front campaign that followed from 1916 to 1918 gave shape to the emotional impact. It was a world of horror, death and mud that destroyed souls.

Together these two campaigns shaped the lives of a generation of New Zealanders, gave a particular meaning to modern memory of war and helped shape our national identity. In Shattered Glory, historian Matthew Wright illuminates New Zealand’s human experience during these two campaigns. He also explores the darker side of New Zealand’s iconic symbols of national identity and explains some of the realities behind the mythology that have been created since.

Anyone who wants to know more about New Zealand’s participation in the First World War, or is interested in New Zealand history will particularly enjoy this book. The photos and text not only tell readers what these places were really like, they also explain what set New Zealanders apart.

RRP $45.00
Published and distributed by Penguin Group

>> Back to Book Search <<