Nichols writes introduction to Sassoon’s Counter-Attack
Poet involved
What happened
Between 20 and 23 November 1918 in New York City, Nichols wrote the introduction to Siegfried Sassoon’s Counter-Attack and Other Poems. The essay describes Sassoon in person and quotes a conversation in which Sassoon rejected any praise of war’s hardening of the soul. Nichols added his own line that war does not ennoble but degrades.
Literary impact
The preface documents a turn away from the heroic warmth of Ardours and Endurances. It remains one of his most quoted pieces of prose and binds his name to Sassoon’s satiric war books.
Source: Wikisource
