Signed with their honour

The creation of works of James Aldridge

The list of novels:
· The Diplomat (1949)
· The Hunter (1950)
· Heroes of the Empty View (1954)
· Signed with Their Honour (1954)
· Undersea Hunting for Inexperienced Englishmen (1955)
· I Wish He Would Not Die (1957)
· The Last Exile (1961)
· A Captive in the Land (1962)
· The Flying 19 (1966)
· My Brother Tom (1966)
· The Statesman's Game (1966)
· Sea Eagle (1971)
· Sporting Proposition (1973)
· Of Many Men (1974)
· Mockery in Arms (1974)
· The Marvellous Mongolian (1974)
· The Untouchable Juli (1975)
Aldridge's early books attracted considerable interest not only because of the truthfulness of their lives and the credibility of their stories, but also because of the profound democracy of the writer, who was extremely interested in to the victory of the people. James Aldridge's early works - "A Matter of Honor" (Signed in Their Honor, 1942), "Sea Eagle" (The Sea Eagle, 1944) and "About Many People" (Of Many, 1946) - is the realization of the era of advanced British military literature. These works are satisfied with the novelty, the novelty of the writer's voice, the clarity of political thought. Perhaps they were the first British veterans who brought the truth about the suffering of millions and determined to defend the independence and freedom of the peoples. James Aldridge's debut novel A Matter of Honor paints a vivid picture of the mass liberation movement in Greece, from the Italian-Nazi invasion in October 1940 until the Nazi Germany occupied the country in April 1941. In the novel, the Greek people defend their freedom against the corrupt fascist elites in power. The author shows how poorly armed Greek soldiers fought selflessly for their land and how Metaxists and representatives of the British high command played a role. How sinister and treacherous. From the first novel, marked by an undeniable talent, one can judge Aldridge's democracy, his remarkable life experience, his great powers of observation, his persistence in finding his personal writing style. In Aldridge's early works, especially in the novel "The Honorable Case", the echoes of Hemingway's intonation can be heard. However, this influence Hemingway had on Aldridge at the time of the formulation of his innovative method should not be overestimated. The young writer will certainly engage in a kind of ideological and artistic controversy with him. Aldridge reinterpreted the theme of courage in the face of death, adopting a new approach to portraying the patriotism of a people fighting for independence. Its heroes feel the same bitterness as the heroes of Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms, but they see better than the perpetrators of the senseless and tragic deaths of people and them in this way. or otherwise, towards the truth, overcoming the political apathy typical of many British bourgeois intellectual representatives. ³
Aldridge soon discovered his independence as an artist, and this was greatly facilitated by his vast vision and the increasing historical experience he brought to the world. national liberation struggles. Aldridge's path in this sense is in stark contrast to that of Hemingway's various epigones, blindly canonizing his teacher's original manner, his stylized story and his deliberate simplification. , which Hemingway himself later largely abandoned. The desire to portray noble human figures, one of the key features of Aldridge's creative work, brings him closer to the finest traditions of classical English and world literature.
The lyrical theme - the love of the Greek patriot Elena Stangu and the British aviator John Quale, the awakening and growth of this love, its tragic nature due to the harsh atmosphere of war - occupies a prominent place in the novel "A Matter of Reverence". The personal fate of the heroes, inextricably linked with the national struggle against fascism, is, so to speak, illuminated by its light. In the family of Elena Stangu, John Quale found the true patriots of Greece, whose advanced beliefs were being persecuted by the Metaxists. Communicating with this family, the bitter military experience made the hero think a lot, overestimate his outlook on life. Quale finds that "his views are not evil" and that he is not alone. And Mann, and young Gorell, and many others were in the same mood as him. “The day will come when they will all unite together,” was the conclusion of Quat. The novel "A Matter of Honor", about the fate and mission of John Quale, leads the writer to the theme of people who rise up to fight closely. This theme is developed in the novel "Sea Eagle", which shows clear political ideology, boldness to unmask the perpetrators of the tragedy of the Greek people, combined with artistic qualities. high. An epic was opened for Roman, providing the key to the author's plan and introducing action dynamically developed in passionate struggle. "Nis protected Megara," the epic says, "when the Minotaur invaded the land. His half-brother decided to take Megara into his own hands as soon as Nis defeated the Minotaur. Nis infiltrated the scheme. his plan and talked about him with Zeus.Zeus turned his half-brother into a fish and Nisu gave the power at will to transform into a sea eagle to pursue him. with his half-brother in this image and observe the enemy's actions.

The action of the novel "Sea Eagle" takes place on the island of Crete when the final act of the play experienced by the Greek people occurs: after the occupation of Greece, the Nazis took Crete, destroying the people. Australian, New Zealander and English. the soldiers did not have time to leave the island. In the action of the novel, injured Australian Enges Burke wanders in search of salvation. Skeptical, he tries to remain an outside observer of the events unfolding before his eyes. He meets the Greek patriot Nis along the way; The close acquaintance and participation in a common struggle caused Burke to ponder and doubt the correctness of his politically indifferent stance.

James Aldridge presents himself in this novel as the master of a tense and engaging plot. He knows how to show the tragedy of life, to show the conflict of social forces, the deep antagonism between the people and their enemies. The novel shows that the reactionary goals and intentions of the power-hungry Metaxist faction have gained sympathy and support among British celebrity circles. ⁴
Showing how those infected with ironic skepticism overcame it and joined the ranks of those fighting against fascism, Aldridge did not separate the subject from the image of aristocracy and the power of the nobility. ordinary people like Nyssa or the giant Saranaki, who bravely face danger. The lyrical tone is especially noticeable in the panel dialogues, which eloquently articulate the deeply emotional experiences of The Sea Eagle's characters. The book "About many people" consists of separate chapters, short stories, and essays written at different times, but linked together by a unified concept of thought and image of the main character. In prominent passages, it gives a brief chronicle of the outbreak of the Second World War, showing its dramatic beginning and end.
The book is a kind of review of the most important theaters of the war. Events are presented through the perception of the main character, Scottish-born insightful journalist Wolfe. Wolf visited Spain during the Spanish people's war against the fascist invaders and was full of sympathy for the anti-fascists. The book describes the silhouettes of many people he encounters. He writes about his encounters on the mountain roads of Norway, where he understands the calm bravery of the Norwegian people, writes about the people he has met in America. He talks about close friends and literary snobs who are extremely alien to him, whom he calls "spoiled creatures". In Italy, Wolf sees folk heroes like Fabiano, the Italian anti-fascist who represents the Anglo-American command responsible for punishing fascist killers who mocked the Italian people. Wolfe describes the persecution that Fabiano suffered as a typical manifestation of a policy that encouraged a certain subordination. Wolfe visited the Soviet Union, where the people gave their all to victory, meeting with the loyal defenders of Stalingrad. The image of the Wolf, a man in search of truth, plays a fundamental role in the book. It allows the author not only to consolidate the fragmentary fragments, but also to express the aspirations of one of the representative representatives of the British democratic intelligentsia.
The genre of the book "About Many" is special: it is more likely to link short, closely related stories, than a complete novel. Aldridge establishes himself here as an excellent storyteller, possessing the secret of the dynamic development of the action, convexly portraying his images, building a dialogue. dialogue skillfully, always carrying a stream of deep thought. The book "Of many" is one of the approaches of the writer to the great epic picture - the novel "Diplomat". The play The Forty-ninth State, written in 1946, can to some extent also be seen as an ode to the novel The Diplomat. And not only is Aldridge turning to scathing international affairs, which in itself is indicative of his creative growth, but also because in this work there is an important aspect of the house's talents. literature was fully revealed - the ability to create satirical images. The events depicted in the play take place "80 years after our time", but it bears the stamp of our times. In this work in the form of political farce, the author poses a question as important as the Anglo-American conflict after the Second World War. The author points out that the desire for world domination by the oligopolistic groups of the United States of America poses an immediate threat to Britain, its dominions and colonies. The play shows the progressive British intelligentsia's concern for the fate of their country that, as a result of the Labor government's anti-national policy, "for the first time in history" lost its foundation. independence and freedom of action in the field of foreign, economic and military policy, subject to the domination of a foreign power - the United States of America" ​​("Britain's path to communism" social" is the program of the Communist Party of Great Britain.
The novel "The Diplomat" (The Diplomat, 1949), in which James Aldridge worked for four years and in which, according to him, he invested, is one of the most important phenomena of English literature of the time. post-war. Despite attacks from reactionary critics, this novel found its way to many readers and was a well-deserved success. ⁵
Aldridge's novel "The Hunter" is for working people who have kept their nobility and purity of heart in the harsh conditions of their existence. Aldridge was interested in the spiritual world and the fate of these people from the very first steps of his literary activity. In this book, he contrasts his understanding of man with the mockery that characterizes modern literature.
Although there is no breadth of the Diplomat's social vision in the Hunter, the author of this novel also addresses the disturbing social issues that his heroes - the hunters and Canadian farmers face. Aldridge cares deeply about human destiny.

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