This Writing Life

Episode 47 - Harry Parker: Part 2

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The second part of our chat with Harry Parker about his debut novel Anatomy of a Soldier begins with a cheerful discussion of decay and destruction of both objects or people. ----more----Parker prefers the word entropy while discussing his own recovery after the bomb blast that destroyed his legs. From there we moved onto: 
  • can fiction resolve trauma?
  • questions of identity: what Parker sees in the mirror
  • 'fetish of the possible': prosthetic limbs as objects of hope
  • value and cost: how much is a human life worth?
  • anger and mourning: recovery and resolution
  • would Parker shake hands with the man who blew him up
  • 'If you are going to be stupid enough to be a soldier, then you have got to expect that this stuff might happen'
  • empathy or hatred: Parker's view of the insurgents
  • the Parker family's relationship with the British army
  • why did he join up
  • 'The best soldier is anti-war...'
  • 'It's bloody difficult': the challenges of fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan
  • did the occupying armies make life better or worse?
  • fear and boredom: life as a soldier on duty
    • ...more
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    This Writing LifeBy James Kidd
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