From the Trenches ─ The Best ANZAC Writing of World War One

In the centenary of World War One, here are the Anzacs in their own words. From the Trenches is a collection of gripping, awe-inspiring, and sometimes terrifying accounts of life at the front, recorded by those who lived through the fighting. Drawn from diaries, memoirs, and letters, as well as poetry, reportage, and prose, this collection reminds us that the Anzac legend is rooted in real and tragic circumstances on a heartbreakingly human scale. Belying the common perception of the laconic digger, these compelling voices convey the range of wartime experience, from the desolation and horror to the unbridled excitement and camaraderie. Through it all runs the bleak toll on young lives. Author and journalist Mark Dapin has selected writing from those on the front lines as well as behind the scenes, from officers and soldiers to nurses, engineers, and reporters, to create a volume that will be regarded as the definitive record of the personal experiences that forged the emerging national identities of Australia and New Zealand.

Mark Dapin is a journalist, the editor of The Penguin Book of Australian War Writing, and the author ofThe Nashos' War and Spirit House.