The Invasion Handbook Book

Never let it be said that Tom Paulin lacks for energy: in The Invasion Handbook, his latest volume of verse, the television pundit, Oxford academic, accomplished essayist and lauded biographer has taken World War II as his theme. To be more precise, it's the origins, genesis and inception of the 20th century's greatest struggle that serve as his subject matter. The book begins with the signing of the Versailles Treaty in 1919, when the seeds of German discontent were arguably sown: "maybe they're Hessians who like Jack Falstaff are--mortal men, sir--full of sack and sorry the war has staggered to an end". From there the backdrop switches to 1930s Germany, with the rise of Nazism and the end of Weimarism. Some of Paulin's poems at this stage are almost pointillist, litanies of one-liners reminiscent of Heathcote Williams's work on whales and elephants. Here's Paulin on the moral and intellectual decadence of 20s and 30s Berlin: "Karl Denke sold human flesh smoked in jars as goat's meat... They teach Kant and live off the interest... Of Berlin Goebbels said the spirit of the asphalt democracy is piled high". Soon after this Hitler comes to power, the Rhineland is invaded, Chamberlain dithers--and Paulin has a lot of fun weaving his dense web of metaphors, references, offstage remarks and iffy jokes, as he describes the fall of European Civilisation. Is it any good? Difficult to say. The writing is interesting, playful, readable but it is also rather allusive and presuming. Some of the simpler, shorter poems, the ones examining the minor figures of the time: Albert Speer, George Orwell and so on, are pithy and provoking. Some of the other, longer poems are lacking in verbal beauty and lyrical life. Perhaps, as this is the first in a promised series of books, the ultimate verdict on this intriguing volume must be withheld; watch this space, in other words. --Sean ThomasRead More