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A unique literary and pictorial portrait of a tumultuous, exciting and enduringly dangerous part of the world.
Armageddon. Nazareth. Damascus. The names of these places come straight from the Bible. They are the lands of the Pharaohs, the Crusaders, Lawrence of Arabia. But the forbidding deserts and mysterious cities of the Middle East were also the lesser-known backdrop for the battles of the Australian men and boys who served there during the First World War.
Paul Daley and Michael Bowers follow in the footsteps of the Australian Light Horse divisions, bringing us closer to the realities of those times. As they pick up shrapnel, bullet casings and even the odd human bone, the musings and black humour of these two mates recall the laconic spirit of the diggers.
Illustrated with both archival photographs and contemporary photography,
Armageddon is part travelogue, part history – a compelling story about the tragic road the Australians fought to victory.
Evocative, sometimes funny, frequently sad and often disturbing,
Armageddon is two men on a fading Anzac trail.
About the Authors
Paul Daley is a Canberra-based writer and Fairfax columnist and the winner of the Walkley Award for Excellence in Investigative Journalism as well as the Paul Lyneham Award for Excellence in Press Gallery Journalism.
Mike Bowers is a freelance photographer, regular commentator on ABC radio and host of ABC TV's
Talking Pictures on
Insiders. He lives in Sydney with his wife, ABC journalist Paula Kruger, son Oscar, daughter Ashla and a troublesome Labrador named Tommy.
Reviewed By Toni Whitmont, Booktopia Buzz Editor
To read more reviews by Toni Whitmont,
click here to visit the Booktopia Newsletter Archive.
Speak to Paul Daley and he tells you that he and his colleague, photographer Michael Bowers, have put together something that is somewhere between gonzo history and gonzo travel - "two blokes looking back at a battlefield" - but
Armageddon is so much more than that.
Over six frenetic weeks, the two men retraced the much neglected bitter conflict of the Middle East campaigns of World War 1. Fortunately, they have a similar journalistic pedigree. By juxtaposing contemporary photos with those taken by the soldiers, and with thoughtful curation of their letters home, the two men transport the reader to places and events that are now almost forgotten.
There is much to recommend this book, which is, in essence, full of inspiring stories of bravery, sacrifice told with insight. Daley of course wrote
Beersheba (among others), so he comes to his subject very well qualified and prepared.
Paul answered our Ten Terrifying Questions - read his answers here
