Vera Brittain (1893–1970)

Abstract

Certainly the most famous First World War book written by a woman, not least because of its highly successful dramatization which appeared on British and American television, Testament of Youth was published in 1933 and based on the journals Brittain kept during the War. Though the book is sometimes criticized for the naivete of its attitudes, it still provides an unparalleled insight into the impact of the War on a young, middle-class woman. The fighting cost Brittain her brother, her fiancé, and every other young man to whom she was close. The experience caused her to become a life-long pacifist.