The Complete Flying Officer X Stories
by H.E. Bates
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Description
Includes an introduction by Patrick Bishop, bestselling author ofBomber Boys: Fighting Back 1940-1945. The Flying Officer X stories were written by H.E. Bates in his unprecedented role as an official war writer with the R.A.F. during WWII, where he animates the realities faced by pilots tasked with protecting the skies from enemy aircraft. The resulting stories that appeared under the pseudonym Flying Officer X are portraits of individual pilots narrated by an observer who, like Bates, is on show more the inside of the air force without being a pilot. These portraits recount the personal history of the pilots, and convey the individual qualities and forces that motivate them. They blend the action and suspense of aerial battles, friendships cut off too soon, and life enduring against all odds. In true Bates style, theNew York Times noted "These are tales told in impressive quiet, tales that are innocent of even the suggestion of flagrant heroism that colors so many stories about combat pilots." Bloomsbury Reader is delighted to collect these stories into one volume for the first time, along with five additional stories from the same period, never before included in a collection: 'Fishers' sees a bond between two soldiers from very different walks of life; 'Happy Christmas Nastashya' sees an English officer encounter a young woman in service to her country in Russia; 'The Bell' follows a young flying officer as he travels back to a familiar pub to reminisce about a lost friend; 'From this Time forward' exposes the raw emotion of losing a loved one; and 'Three Thousand and One Hours of Sergeant Kostek' shows us a man of extraordinary character and flying ability. show lessTags
Member Reviews
Bates was having a hard time trying to get worthwhile war work in 1939 until he was offered a commission in the RAF to write short stories about the air crews who, by that time, were engaged in an all out bombing campaign. The results were published in newspapers anonymously under the pen-name
“Flying Officer X” to help the public understand the reality of what was happening. Amid the losses he offered a sympathetic ear as men opened up to him. These are the stories in one volume. They are a poignant reminder of the events and era.
Graham Greene described H.E. Bates as “one of the best short story writers of my time”. This is one of his best collections and a fitting example of why he - and the air crews - deserve to be remembered.
“Flying Officer X” to help the public understand the reality of what was happening. Amid the losses he offered a sympathetic ear as men opened up to him. These are the stories in one volume. They are a poignant reminder of the events and era.
Graham Greene described H.E. Bates as “one of the best short story writers of my time”. This is one of his best collections and a fitting example of why he - and the air crews - deserve to be remembered.
I've only ever read "perfick" Darling Buds of May stories. This book came as a pleasant surprise.
Such a contrast between the novels.
A poignant, sometimes sad collection of stories about the pilots who kept us safe during WW2.
I hope there are more to be discovered.
I was given a digital copy of this novel by the publisher via Netgalley in return for an honest unbiased review.
Such a contrast between the novels.
A poignant, sometimes sad collection of stories about the pilots who kept us safe during WW2.
I hope there are more to be discovered.
I was given a digital copy of this novel by the publisher via Netgalley in return for an honest unbiased review.
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166+ Works 5,598 Members
Common Knowledge
- Blurbers
- Heroic and moving accounts of the R.A.F. in war time by the author of Fair Stood the Wind for Franceand The Darling Buds of May 'After 60 years of writing and reading, I would place H.E. Bates as one of the best short-story writers of my time' -- Graham Greene.
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