"My one central revelation was that I never quite understood that many Europeans expected to gain a revolution from the destruction of the old orders, and that was precisely what the US, Britain and the political elites of Europe had no intention of allowing. Liberation had a dual meaning for the people that involved a lot more than merely the end of Nazis occupation, but also a follow through to a liberation from the old class orders that ruled before the occupation. That expectation was crushed in the name of stability."
And they called it the Marshall Plan.
"Another stand out were the sections on the intelligentsia, its divisions and its gullibility to embrace the anti-fascist mantle without much reflection on the larger imperial projects behind the fine words."
The intelligentia had something to lose from the loss of class distinctions, and they too were bought off. One cannot overestimate the importance of class in Europe. The poison remains.
"A little known third novel was John Horne Burns, The Galleria (1947) was much better and captured the extraordinary cynicism that must have been ubiquitous. I remember I recognized something of my stepfather in that work."
Thanks for the recommendation.
"In general the traditional arts were almost entirely lacking in any meaningful way to appropriate the experiences of millions. There was nothing like Goya's Disasters of War. You have to change over to film and documentary or neorealist movement to get to the war."
And even then. What have we got? The much underestimated "Third Man" might actually be one of the best. Otherwise? "Two Women," and the inexplicable malaise of Antonioni, and "Bycicle Thieves" by inference, and....not much really.
Q. What happened to the great poets of WWII? A. They died in Spain.
So, there's that. Though perhaps it's too easy to stop there.
But I forget. There are also the great Soviet war films. "Ballad of a Soldier," "The Cranes Are Flying," and even a little French masterpiece: "Forbidden Games." But like you say no writers, no poets, no visual artists, no dramatists, no dance. Neo this and neo that and a heap of absurdities.
Shostakovich did some interesting stuff. 5th symphony deserves a listen.
Joanna
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