Collins Drama
2 total works
A stunning new edition of this modern classic of World War One, featuring a new introduction by the author and insightful testimonies from soldiers, to commemorate the centenary of the Battle of the Somme.
Told in the voice of Private Tommo Peaceful, the story follows twenty-four hours at the front, and captures his memories of his family and his village life – by no means as tranquil as it appeared.
Full of vivid detail and engrossing atmosphere, leading to a dramatic and moving conclusion, Private Peaceful is both a compelling love story and a deeply moving account of the First World War.
Extra material:
- Introduction by Michael Morpurgo
- Inspiration letter by Michael Morpurgo
- Background on the execution of British soldiers in WW1 for cowardice, including personal testimony from soldiers
What would it have been like to grow up in the Medieval world, or during the English Civil War? Or, perhaps, during the Victorian era or World War II?
The experience of childhood is one that has altered beyond recognition over the centuries as children's roles in the world have shifted with the times. First heard on Radio 4, The Voices of Children is Michael Morpurgo's thought-provoking new play illuminating the ways in which the concept of childhood has changed over the past 1000 years.
As the author says of writing the play:
'…I found myself on a journey of discovery as intense as childhood itself. Here was an aspect of childhood I had known very little about, the history of it, the invention of it. It is a story I have found often disturbing, and always enlightening. And it's a universal story, for each of us in their own way has lived and invented their own childhood. Childhoods I have discovered, may have changed, been reinvented through the ages, but children have not'.