About Siegfried Sassoon
Siegfried Sassoon was a writer during the late 19th and early 20th century. Noted for poetry and memoir work, he famously served in the British Army during Wold War I. The majority of his work had a sarcastic tone to it, especially in regards to pieces involving the military. His early life story was eventually made into a film about shell-shocked soldiers.
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Early Life
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Siegfried Sassoon, born to a Jewish Iraqi father and English mother in 1886, was the second of three sons. He ultimately attended Clare College in Cambridge where he studied law and history; however, he dropped out.
Identification
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Despite his first name, Siegfried Sassoon had no German ancestry. His mother was said to be large fan of the operas of Wagner, prompting her to name him after the composer.
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Considerations
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Sassoon joined the British Army on the eve of World War I. He was prompted by the nationwide fervor of patriotism. During the war, he fought at the Western Front and even single-handedly captured a German trench.
Significance
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Both before and after the war, Sassoon wrote a number of poems and memoirs. His most successful was "Memoirs of a Fox-Hunting Man," the first in a trilogy of stories about his life.
Fun Fact
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Pat Barker wrote a fictional account of Sassoon's military career and a mental breakdown named "Regeneration." It was eventually made into a movie starring James Wilby and Jonathan Pryce.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit George Charles Beresford; Public Domain
