The Cross and the Arrow by Albert Maltz
Despite being decorated with a German Service Cross, Willi Wegler is inwardly sickened by both Hitler’s genocidal war and the complicity of his fellow citizens in Third Reich brutalities. Wracked by guilt, he suddenly betrays his country in a profound gesture of protest and self-sacrifice: during the course of an air raid, he fashions an enormous arrow out of hay in an open field, then ignites it as a flaming signal to direct British bombers to the site of the factory where he works – an act that cannot fail to precipitate a series of dramatic events. The Cross and the Arrow – first published in 1944, during the latter stages of the war it describes – portrays a man’s struggle to retain his dignity in defiance of state-sponsored cruelty and explores the role and responsibility of the individual in the face of tragic global events. In its examination of an enemy’s complex heroism, it provides a life-affirming message of humanity’s ultimate capacity for good.
A fascinating and a powerful book… a story of the conflict between Nazi philosophy and the dignity of the individual * New York Sun *
An intensely dramatic, thought-compelling novel, The Cross and the Arrow represents a leap forward for the author as well as for American fiction of World War II * New Masses *
An intensely dramatic, thought-compelling novel, The Cross and the Arrow represents a leap forward for the author as well as for American fiction of World War II * New Masses *
Albert Maltz (1908–85) was an American playwright, fiction writer and screenwriter. He was one of the Hollywood Ten, a group of entertainment-industry professionals who were blacklisted for their involvement with the Communist Party USA and cited for contempt by Congress. He is best remembered today for his novels A Tale of One January and A Long Day in a Short Life.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780714550787 |
| ISBN 10 | 0714550787 |
| Title | The Cross and the Arrow |
| Author | Albert Maltz |
| Series | Calder Publications |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Alma Books Ltd |
| Year published | 2024-04-25 |
| Number of pages | 372 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |