''Flesh in Armour '' (1932) is a novel by Australian author

Leonard Mann Leonard Mann (15 November 1895 – 29 April 1981) was an Australian poet, and novelist. Life He served in the Australian Imperial Force during World War I, and with the Department of Aircraft Production in World War II. He was, in Septembe ...

. It won the

ALS Gold Medal The Australian Literature Society Gold Medal (ALS Gold Medal) is awarded annually by the Association for the Study of Australian Literature for "an outstanding literary work in the preceding calendar year." From 1928 to 1974 it was awarded by the ...

for Best Novel in 1932.

Plot summary

The novel follows the exploits of an Australian platoon fighting in France in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, and, in particular, those of one of the company, Corporal Frank Jeffreys.

Notes

* Austlit states: "Leonard Mann privately published his first novel, ''Flesh in Armour'', in Melbourne in 1932, after he was unable to place it with a publisher in Australia or England. The novel was an immediate success, and Mann was subsequently awarded the Australian Literature Society's gold medal for outstanding book of the year. The book's merits then established, it was republished in England and Australia in 1944.""Flesh in Armour : A Novel – Leonard Mann" ''Austlit''
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Reviews

The novel was initially met with mixed reviews: generally appreciative of the material but critical of the language depicted. A reviewer in Perth's ''Sunday Times'' stated: "A distinct literary ability is revealed in the scenes in action and in the support lines, which chapters are a masterpiece of descriptive work, but the merit of the story as a whole is spoilt by the sensual episodes and by digger dialogue of the crude and obscene sort, the author apparently overlooking the fact that some of the finest brains of the earth looked at the war through the eyes of infantry privates." ''The Telegraph'' in Brisbane, however, saw beyond the dialogue to the merits of the novel: "Here is the real Aussie, colloquial language and all, scornful of authority, loyal to the backbone whenever the call to action comes, and ready for any devilment in the hours out of the trenches." By the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

it was being appreciated as a major piece of Australian war literature with a critic in ''The Age'' stating: "It pulses with life, that, together with the accuracy of its descriptions, has raised the novel above many others of its kind. In straightforward narrative style it enshrines perhaps as competently as could an epic poem, the spirit of the 'Digger'.""Australian Vignettes : ''Flesh in Armour'' : Ideal of Corporal Jeffreys" ''The Age'', 3 May 1947, p8
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Awards and nominations

* 1932 winner

External links

References

1932 Australian novels ALS Gold Medal winning works Novels set during World War I Novels set in France {{1930s-WWI-novel-stub