The Enormous Room (Warbler Classics)

The Enormous Room is a fictionalized autobiographical account of the three months that E. E. Cummings spent in a French prison under suspicion of espionage-a circumstance he could have easily avoided had he professed a hatred of Germans. Instead, when questioned, Cummings answered French authorities in a way that insured that he would accompany his friend "B." (William Slater Brown), who was indeed guilty of writing letters critical of the French government. The psychologically tense narrative-shocking and provocative in its day-juxtaposes the barbarity and inhumanity of war against the camaraderie and collective spirit of the oppressed. As a piece of writing, it foreshadows the whimsy, humor, pessimism, and jubilance that would come to characterize Cummings's poetry while, on its own, it stands as a major work of World War I literature. This Warbler Classics edition includes Paul Headrick's essay "Brilliant Obscurity: The Reception of The Enormous Room, " as well as a detailed biographical timeline.

Author:

E. E. Cummings

Publisher:

Warbler Classics

Publication Date:

April 17, 2021

Number of pages:

279 pages

Language:

English

Binding:

Paperback

ISBN-10:

1954525257

ISBN-13:

9781954525252