Author Description

R. L. Barth is the pre-eminent poet of the Vietnam War. He writes in the tradition of poets dating from antiquity through the poets of World War I. The title borrows from Jonathan Swift's description of "War, that mad game the world so loves to play..." Barth's tour of duty as a Marine patrol leader vests him with irrefutable credibility, and his skill with formal poems searingly articulates the experience of war. This book continues Barth's exploration of the tragedy--and sometimes comedy--of war.