Description
This is the story of innocence betrayed, of passion and curiosity about the world of machines turned nightmarish and punished by the cruelty of which only humans are capable. It is also a story of survival and courage. Eric Lomax was tortured by the Japanese on the Burma-Siam Railway. Fifty years later he met one of his tormentors.
'The passion for trains and railways is, I have been told, incurable. I have also learned that there is no cure for torture' To mark the centenary of the First World War, Vintage is launching a unique collection of war fiction. April 2014 will see the publication of twelve works by the greatest writers of the last century, each tackling this most powerful and universal of subjects.
About the Author
Eric Lomax was born in 1919. During the Second World War he was captured and tortured by the Japanese Army and forced to work on the notorious Burma-Siam railway. He met and forgave his torturer in 1995. He died in October 2012.
Reviews
"What a great book. What a great man" -- Harry Ritchie * Daily Mail *
"Forget the grueling films, just read the brilliant books" * Independent *
"This beautiful, awkward book tells the story of a fine and awkward man. Here, I think, is an account that rises above mere timeliness and comes near to being a classic of autobiography" -- Ian Jack * Guardian *
"When I turned to the book, the complexity of Lomax's emotions came alive and burned off the page" * Independent *
"Of all the billions of words that have been written about the Second World War, with the exception of Churchill's Nobel Prize winning history, it is not an exaggeration to say there is no account of it more worth reading that this. Wistfully romantic, historically important, startling, horrifying and ultimately electrifyingly uplifting, The Railway Man is as indispensable as any book can be." -- Tom Peck * Independent *
Book Information
ISBN 9780099597551
Author Eric Lomax
Format Paperback
Page Count 336
Imprint Vintage Classics
Publisher Vintage Publishing
Weight(grams) 176g
Dimensions(mm) 178mm * 110mm * 21mm
'The passion for trains and railways is, I have been told, incurable. I have also learned that there is no cure for torture' To mark the centenary of the First World War, Vintage is launching a unique collection of war fiction. April 2014 will see the publication of twelve works by the greatest writers of the last century, each tackling this most powerful and universal of subjects.
About the Author
Eric Lomax was born in 1919. During the Second World War he was captured and tortured by the Japanese Army and forced to work on the notorious Burma-Siam railway. He met and forgave his torturer in 1995. He died in October 2012.
Reviews
"What a great book. What a great man" -- Harry Ritchie * Daily Mail *
"Forget the grueling films, just read the brilliant books" * Independent *
"This beautiful, awkward book tells the story of a fine and awkward man. Here, I think, is an account that rises above mere timeliness and comes near to being a classic of autobiography" -- Ian Jack * Guardian *
"When I turned to the book, the complexity of Lomax's emotions came alive and burned off the page" * Independent *
"Of all the billions of words that have been written about the Second World War, with the exception of Churchill's Nobel Prize winning history, it is not an exaggeration to say there is no account of it more worth reading that this. Wistfully romantic, historically important, startling, horrifying and ultimately electrifyingly uplifting, The Railway Man is as indispensable as any book can be." -- Tom Peck * Independent *
Book Information
ISBN 9780099597551
Author Eric Lomax
Format Paperback
Page Count 336
Imprint Vintage Classics
Publisher Vintage Publishing
Weight(grams) 176g
Dimensions(mm) 178mm * 110mm * 21mm
