Long Shadows, a semi-autobiographical novel describing the difficulties facing a young man disabled in the First World War, was first published in 1958. Having lost a leg just three weeks before the end of the war, Hull-born George Sizer was well-placed to describe the psychological and physical traumas suffered not only by the disabled casualties of such conflicts themselves but also by their families. The novel is however not only a chronicle of events but also a warning: "I wrote this book" he explained "because I wanted to tell people what it was like to be disabled and to impress upon their minds the fact that it should never be allowed to happen again." Sizer was able to persuade Vera Brittain, with whom he had had contact since the early 1950s, to write a preface and a final chapter reinforcing this message, one that in many places in the world still falls on deaf ears. This new edition is accompanied by an introduction by Alan Deighton which outlines Sizers's biography and, using their correspondence, describes the collaboration between Sizer and Vera Brittain.

Total 225 pages

Alan Deighton 2022