Bibliograph

Harp of Burma

Type

Label

Harp of Burma

Language

eng

Index

no index present

Literary Form

fiction

Main title

Harp of Burma

Nature of contents

dictionaries

Series statement

Tuttle classics

Summary

Harp of Burma is Japan's haunting answer to Germany's well-known requiem for the First World War, All Quiet on the Western Front. The subject of an acclaimed film by Ichikawa Kon, Harp of Burma portrays a company of Japanese troops who are losing a desperate campaign against British forces in the tropical jungles of Burma. The young soldiers discover that the trials of war involve more than just opposing the enemy. The foreign climate and terrain, the strange behavior of foreigners, the constant struggle to overcome homesickness and nostalgia, and the emotions stirred by the senselessness of war-all of these forces, new and baffling to the soldiers, contribute to their distress and disorientation. In the midst of these overwhelming challenges, they discover the power of music to make even the toughest situations tolerable-through their commander's ability to lead them in song. Even though they face the inevitability of defeat, singing the songs of their homeland revives their will to live. Harp of Burma is Japan's classic novel of pathos and compassion in the midst of senseless warfare

Target audience

adult

Classification