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The cultural impact of the
Falklands War spanned several media in both
Britain
Britain most often refers to:
* The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands
* Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...
and
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
. A number of films and television productions emerged from the conflict. The first Argentine film about the war was ''
Los chicos de la guerra'' (''The Boys of the War'') in 1984. The BBC drama ''
Tumbledown'' (1988) tells the story of a British officer paralysed from a bullet wound. The computer game ''
Harrier Attack
''Harrier Attack'' (stylized as ''Harrier Attack!'') is a horizontally scrolling shooter released for the Oric 1 and ZX Spectrum in 1983 by Durell Software. Ports for the Amstrad CPC and Commodore 64 were published in 1984.
Gameplay
The player co ...
'' (1983) and the naval strategy game ''
Strike Fleet'' (1987) are two examples of Falklands-related games. A number of fictional works were set during the Falklands War, including in
Stephen King's novella ''
The Langoliers'' (1990), in which the character Nick Hopewell is a Falklands veteran. The war provided a wealth of material for non-fiction writers; in the United Kingdom (UK) an important account became
Max Hastings
Sir Max Hugh Macdonald Hastings (; born 28 December 1945) is a British journalist and military historian, who has worked as a foreign correspondent for the BBC, editor-in-chief of ''The Daily Telegraph'', and editor of the ''Evening Standard'' ...
and
Simon Jenkins' ''The Battle for the Falklands''.
On 4 May, the British tabloid newspaper
The Sun ran the controversial headline
"Gotcha" in reference to the sinking of the General Belgrano. It has since been said that this contributed to the cultural impact that the war would have, as well as that it was an encapsulation of the British nation's mood at the time, and has formed a significant part of Britain's front page history.
The Argentine writer
Jorge Luis Borges
Jorge Francisco Isidoro Luis Borges Acevedo (; ; 24 August 1899 – 14 June 1986) was an Argentine short-story writer, essayist, poet and translator, as well as a key figure in Spanish-language and international literature. His best-known b ...
wrote a short poem, called ''Juan López y John Ward'' (1985), about two fictional soldiers (one from each side), who died in the Falklands, in which he refers to "islands that were too famous". Another Argentine example is "Elegy for the Argentine Dead Boys, in the South Atlantic" by Salvador Oria.
Music referencing the war includes songs by
Captain Sensible
Raymond Ian Burns (born 24 April 1954), known by the stage name Captain Sensible, is an English singer, songwriter and guitarist.
Captain Sensible co-founded the punk rock band the Damned, originally playing bass before switching to guitar. H ...
, the Argentine punk-rock band
Los Violadores
Los Violadores are a rock band from Argentina, pioneers of the punk rock genre in Latin America.
History
Los Violadores ("The Violators", referring to 'breaking the law', as mentioned in one of their songs, "Violadores de la Ley") was founded in ...
' song "Comunicado #166", and British heavy metal band
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. While fluid in the early years of the band, the lineup for most of the band's history has consisted of Harri ...
's song called "Como Estais Amigos".
Arts, entertainment, and electronic media
Films and television
![Simon Weston cropped](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2c/Simon_Weston_cropped.jpg)
A number of films and television productions emerged from the conflict. Notable examples include:
*In the Episode ''
Burns' Heir'' on
The Simpsons
''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer Simpson, Homer, Marge ...
,
Krusty the Clown
Herschel Shmoikel Pinchas Yerucham Krustofsky (; ) better known by his stage name Krusty the Clown (sometimes spelled as Krusty the Klown), is a recurring character on the animated television series ''The Simpsons''. He is voiced by Dan Castel ...
accidentally placed a rerun from his show, thinking it would blend in with the year of the show (1994), instead having him explain the
Falkland war
The Falklands War ( es, link=no, Guerra de las Malvinas) was a ten-week undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982 over two British dependent territories in the South Atlantic: the Falkland Islands and its territorial de ...
.
*
Simon Weston
Simon Weston (born 8 August 1961) is a Welsh veteran of the British Army who is known for his charity work and recovery from severe burn injuries suffered during the Falklands War.
Early life
Weston was born at Caerphilly District Miners ...
, a
Welsh Guards
The Welsh Guards (WG; cy, Gwarchodlu Cymreig), part of the Guards Division, is one of the Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. It was founded in 1915 as a single-battalion regiment, during the First World War, by Royal Warrant of George V. ...
man who had suffered serious burns during the bombing of ''Sir Galahad'', became a popular figure due to British media coverage. A series of television documentaries followed the progress of rehabilitation and eventual recovery from his injuries, the first being ''
Simon's War'' (6 April 1983) in
BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...
's ''
QED'' series.
*The 1983 British film ''
The Ploughman's Lunch
''The Ploughman's Lunch'' is a 1983 British drama film written by Ian McEwan and directed by Richard Eyre which features Jonathan Pryce, Tim Curry, and Rosemary Harris.
The film looks at the media world in Margaret Thatcher's Britain around th ...
'' is set in the media and political world at the time of the war, which it compares to the 1956
Suez War
The Suez Crisis, or the Second Arab–Israeli war, also called the Tripartite Aggression ( ar, العدوان الثلاثي, Al-ʿUdwān aṯ-Ṯulāṯiyy) in the Arab world and the Sinai War in Israel,Also known as the Suez War or 1956 Wa ...
.
*The first Argentine film about the war was ''Los chicos de la guerra'' (''The Boys of the War''), directed by Bebe Kamin in 1984.
*The film version of ''
Whoops Apocalypse
''Whoops Apocalypse'' is a six-part 1982 television sitcom by Andrew Marshall and David Renwick, made by London Weekend Television for ITV. Marshall and Renwick later reworked the concept as a 1986 film of the same name from ITC Entertainmen ...
'' (1986) features a conflict very similar to the Falklands War between the United Kingdom and the fictional
Caribbean country of Maguadora over the equally fictional Santa Maya.
*The BBC drama ''
Tumbledown'' (31 May 1988) told the story of
Robert Lawrence MC, a
junior officer
Junior officer, company officer or company grade officer refers to the lowest operational commissioned officer category of ranks in a military or paramilitary organization, ranking above non-commissioned officers and below senior officers.
The ...
in the
Scots Guards
The Scots Guards (SG) is one of the five Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. Its origins are as the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland. Its lineage can be traced back to 1642, although it was only placed on the E ...
(
Colin Firth) left paralysed down his left side by a gunshot wound to the head inflicted by an Argentine soldier on Mount Tumbledown, during the final push for Stanley, and his adjustment to disabled life after the war.
*
Harley Cokeliss
Harley Cokeliss (born Harley Louis Cokliss, February 11, 1945) is an American director, writer and producer of film and television.
Early life
Originally brought up in Chicago, he moved to Britain in 1966 to study at the London Film School ...
'
horror film ''
Dream Demon'' (1988) depicts a planned marriage between the main character and a Falklands War veteran.
*The
1989 British film ''
Resurrected'', directed by
Paul Greengrass
Paul Greengrass (born 13 August 1955) is a British film director, film producer, screenwriter and former journalist. He specialises in dramatisations of historic events and is known for his signature use of hand-held cameras.
His early film ' ...
, had
David Thewlis
David Wheeler (born 20 March 1963), better known as David Thewlis (), is a British actor, author, director and screenwriter.
Thewlis rose to prominence when he starred in the film ''Naked'' (1993), for which he won the Cannes Film Festival Awa ...
as a British soldier previously presumed dead in the war reappearing alive weeks after the end of the conflict.
*In the American/British film ''
For Queen and Country
''For Queen and Country'' is a 1988 crime drama film co-written and directed by Martin Stellman and starring Denzel Washington in Panavision. Washington stars as Reuben James, a Black British former paratrooper, who joined the British Army to esc ...
'' (1989) starring
Denzel Washington, Reuben is a St. Lucia-born British ex-para finding it difficult to adjust to civilian life some years after the war. The film deals with the poverty and crime that Reuben encounters back home and how he is ignored by both society and government despite his service.
*The BBC film ''
An Ungentlemanly Act
''An Ungentlemanly Act'' is a 1992 BBC television film about the first days of the invasion of the Falkland Islands in 1982.
Production
The film was written and directed by Stuart Urban, and commissioned to mark the tenth anniversary of the ...
'' (13 June 1992) depicts the events leading up to and during the initial occupation of the Islands by the Argentine Army. Based on true events, the film was produced to mark the 10th anniversary of the conflict and starred actors
Ian Richardson
Ian William Richardson (7 April 19349 February 2007) was a Scottish actor.
He portrayed the Machiavellian Tory politician Francis Urquhart in the BBC's '' House of Cards'' (1990–1995) television trilogy. Richardson was also a leading S ...
as Governor
Rex Hunt
Rex James Hunt (born 7 March 1949) is an Australian television and radio personality, and a former Australian rules football player. He was also a veteran Australian rules football commentator known for his habit of making up quirky nicknames ...
and
Bob Peck
Robert Peck (23 August 1945 – 4 April 1999) was an English actor who played Ronald Craven in the television serial ''Edge of Darkness'', for which he won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actor. He was also known for his role as game warden Rob ...
as Major Mike Norman.
* The ''
Cracker'' episode "Brotherly Love" (1995) features a psychologically damaged veteran from the Falklands War, Barney (
Ron Donachie), who gets into a brief argument with DS Jimmy Beck (
Lorcan Cranitch
Lorcan Cranitch (born 28 August 1959) is an Irish actor.
Born in Dublin, Lorcan Cranitch became involved in drama while a student. In 1980 he moved to London, where he trained at RADA.
Career
His first major role on British television was as ...
) and flies into an insane rage when Beck shows no interest in Barney's exploits in the war.
*Although the drama by
Ian Curteis
Ian Bayley Curteis (1 May 1935 – 24 November 2021) was a British dramatist and television director.
Life and career
Curteis was born in London on 1 May 1935, and began his career as an actor, joining Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop in the m ...
that became known simply as ''
The Falklands Play
''The Falklands Play'' is a dramatic account of the political events leading up to, and including, the 1982 Falklands War. The play was written by Ian Curteis, an experienced writer who had started his television career in drama, but had incre ...
'' was originally commissioned by the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
in 1983, it was then temporarily set aside until 1985. The Corporation subsequently gave a number of reasons why it could not be made, including that it would have been broadcast too close to the
1987 General Election. Curteis maintained that the generally sympathetic portrayal of
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She was the first female British prime ...
and his refusal to include material that was contrary to both the official record and what his interviews with the major protagonists had revealed, went against a perceived BBC anti-government bias, citing the fact that ''
Tumbledown'' - which he and others claimed was more "
anti-establishment
An anti-establishment view or belief is one which stands in opposition to the conventional social, political, and economic principles of a society. The term was first used in the modern sense in 1958, by the British magazine ''New Statesman'' ...
" - was made and broadcast. Curteis' play was eventually recorded in a truncated form and screened by the digital satellite channel
BBC Four in 2002.
*The
2005 Argentine film ''
Iluminados por el fuego
''Blessed by Fire'' ( es, Iluminados por el fuego) is a 2005 Argentine war drama film co-written and directed by Tristán Bauer. The film features Gastón Pauls, Pablo Ribba and Juan Leyrado. The story centers on the Falklands War and it is b ...
'' (literally "Lit by Fire", released in English speaking countries as ''Blessed by Fire''), directed by
Tristán Bauer
Tristán Bauer (born 22 June 1959) is an Argentine film maker, screenwriter and politician. Since 10 December 2019, he has been Argentina's Minister of Culture in the cabinet of President Alberto Fernández.
He breakout film was the 1991 drama ' ...
and starring
Gastón Pauls, is a
docudrama based on the autobiographical novel of the same name by Argentine Falklands veteran Edgardo Esteban, who fought in the conflict as an 18-year-old
conscript
Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day un ...
. It received a
San Sebastián Festival special award. The film tells about a veteran's memories, re-awakened after he learns of the suicide of a former soldier comrade. The movie gave a realistic portrait of the extreme weather and psychologically stressful conditions the Argentine soldiers faced in the field, the brutality and indifference to the suffering of the soldiers by their leaders, and the horrors of modern conflict. The movie won several awards, including a
Goya
Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (; ; 30 March 174616 April 1828) was a Spanish romantic painter and printmaker. He is considered the most important Spanish artist of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. His paintings, drawings, and e ...
.
*The
2006 British film ''
This Is England
''This Is England'' is a 2006 British drama film written and directed by Shane Meadows. The story centres on young skinheads in England in 1983. The film illustrates how their subculture, which has its roots in 1960s West Indies culture, espec ...
'', directed by
Shane Meadows
Shane Meadows (born 26 December 1972) is an English director, screenwriter and actor, known for his work in independent film, most notably the cult film '' This Is England'' (2006) and its three sequels (2010–2015).
Meadows' other films i ...
, is set in July 1983 in a small town in England and includes documentary footage and extracts from radio broadcasts about the Falklands War. The main character of the film is 12-year-old Shaun, whose father was killed fighting in the war.
*The British science fiction series ''
Ashes to Ashes'' uses the Falklands War as a backdrop during its second series.
*BBC motoring show ''
Top Gear
Top Gear may refer to:
* "Top gear", the highest gear available in a vehicle's manual transmission
Television
* ''Top Gear'' (1977 TV series), a British motoring magazine programme
* ''Top Gear'' (2002 TV series), a relaunched version of the or ...
'' visited Argentina in 2014 for filming a Christmas Special. However, the presenters' cars' number plates were seen as references to Falklands War. Presenter
Jeremy Clarkson
Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson (born 11 April 1960) is an English broadcaster, journalist, game show host and writer who specialises in motoring. He is best known for the motoring programmes '' Top Gear'' and '' The Grand Tour'' alongside R ...
's
Porsche 928's original number plate "H982 FKL" was seen as a direct reference to the conflict. Upon reaching
Ushuaia
Ushuaia ( , ) is the capital of Tierra del Fuego, Antártida e Islas del Atlántico Sur Province, Argentina. With a population of nearly 75,000 and a location below the 54th parallel south latitude, Ushuaia claims the title of world's souther ...
, from where the
''General Belgrano'' departed on its final voyage, an angry mob confronted them. The three presenters were forced to abandon their cars, which were pelted with rocks from demonstrators, and catch the last plane to Buenos Aires and flee to Chile. A filming crew of 30, who was left behind, was escorted to the Chilean border by local police overland.
*The Falklands War is a significant episode of the
2011 biographical film ''
The Iron Lady'', depicting the life and career of former British Prime Minister
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She was the first female British prime ...
.
*The 2013 Argentine
miniseries (''Combatants''), depicting an Argentine conscript.
*In the 2015 TV show ''
Blunt Talk
''Blunt Talk'' is an American sitcom on the Starz cable network starring Patrick Stewart, created by Jonathan Ames, and executive produced by Seth MacFarlane. The series' first two episodes were released online on August 15, 2015, and premiered on ...
'' protagonist, Walter Blunt (Played by
Patrick Stewart
Sir Patrick Stewart (born 13 July 1940) is an English actor who has a career spanning seven decades in various stage productions, television, film and video games. He has been nominated for Olivier, Tony, Golden Globe, Emmy, and Screen Actors ...
) is a former
Royal Marines major and veteran of the
Falklands War along with his
valet
A valet or varlet is a male servant who serves as personal attendant to his employer. In the Middle Ages and Ancien Régime, valet de chambre was a role for junior courtiers and specialists such as artists in a royal court, but the term "valet ...
Harry Chandler (Played by
Adrian Scarborough), a former Royal Marines
lance corporal
Lance corporal is a military rank, used by many armed forces worldwide, and also by some police forces and other uniformed organisations. It is below the rank of corporal, and is typically the lowest non-commissioned officer (NCO), usually equi ...
.
* In episodes 4 and 5 of the fourth season of the Netflix series ''
The Crown
The Crown is the state in all its aspects within the jurisprudence of the Commonwealth realms and their subdivisions (such as the Crown Dependencies, overseas territories, provinces, or states). Legally ill-defined, the term has different ...
'' the Falklands War plays a major role. In episode 4
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She was the first female British prime ...
demands action to recover the Falkland Islands after the invasion by Argentina. In episode 5 she discusses the recapture with the Queen and organizes a victory parade without inviting the Queen to attend.
*The 2020 Argentine documentary
Good Night Malvinas focuses on the Falklands War.
Games
*The computer games ''
Harrier Attack
''Harrier Attack'' (stylized as ''Harrier Attack!'') is a horizontally scrolling shooter released for the Oric 1 and ZX Spectrum in 1983 by Durell Software. Ports for the Amstrad CPC and Commodore 64 were published in 1984.
Gameplay
The player co ...
'' (1983) and ''
Yomp
Yomp is Royal Marines slang describing a long-distance loaded march carrying full kit. It was popularised by journalistic coverage in 1982 during the Falklands War. The origin of the word is unclear, and there is no evidence to suggest that it ...
'' presented unofficial portraits of the fighting.
*The naval strategy game ''
Strike Fleet'' (1987) includes a scenario set in the Falklands, where the player takes control of British destroyers under attack from Argentine submarines.
*The naval strategy game ''
Janes' Fleet Command'' includes a scenario set in the Falklands, where the player controls the entire naval force, from Carriers to Destroyers and Aircraft.
*The naval tactical game ''
Harpoon 4'' has an extension book named "South Atlantic War: Battle for the Falklands" which comprises numerous scenarios and historical details about the conflict. The second edition was published in 2002 by
Clash of Arms Games.
*''
Malvinas 2032'', developed by
Sabarasa, is a real-time strategy game, in which the player has to command the Argentine forces and re-take the Falkland Islands for Argentina.
*The ''Falklands War - 1982'' scenario collection, created with the Harpoon3 naval warfare simulator, is intended to accurately recreate the real-life war from 1982.
*''The Falklands War 1982'' was published by Shrapnel games.
* ''Port Stanley: Battle for the Falklands'' (1984), a battalion level board war game of the land campaign, was published by
3W.
*''John Tiller's Squad Battles Falklands'' is a turn-based, realistic videogame based on the Falklands land war.
* ''
Falklands '82'' (1986) by
Personal Software Services
Personal Software Services (PSS) was a British software company based in Coventry, founded by Gary Mays and Richard Cockayne in 1981. The company was acquired by Mirrorsoft in 1987. PSS produced video games for the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Ami ...
.
* ''
Project Reality
''Project Reality'' is a series of combined arms tactical first-person shooter video game modifications which aim to create a realistic combat environment where the core gameplay encourages teamwork and coordination. The original version, ''Pro ...
'' v1.4 includes multiple maps based on the Falkland conflict
Literature
Fiction
*
Jack Higgins
Henry "Harry" Patterson (27 July 1929 – 9 April 2022), commonly known by his pen name Jack Higgins, was a British author. He was a best-selling author of popular thrillers and espionage novels. His novel '' The Eagle Has Landed'' (1975) so ...
' thriller ''
Exocet
The Exocet () is a French-built anti-ship missile whose various versions can be launched from surface vessels, submarines, helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft.
Etymology
The missile's name was given by M. Guillot, then the technical director ...
'' (1983) deals with one of the war's most famous "buzz-words"; for many years afterwards, "Exocet" became synonymous with "missile" in the UK. ("
Yomp
Yomp is Royal Marines slang describing a long-distance loaded march carrying full kit. It was popularised by journalistic coverage in 1982 during the Falklands War. The origin of the word is unclear, and there is no evidence to suggest that it ...
" and "
Task Force" also entered the lexicon.)
*
Pierre Boulle
Pierre François Marie Louis Boulle (20 February 1912 – 30 January 1994) was a French novelist best known for two works, '' The Bridge over the River Kwai'' (1952) and ''Planet of the Apes'' (1963), that were both made into award-winning films. ...
's novel ''La Baleine des Malouines'' (1983), translated in the UK as ''The Falklands Whale'' and in the US as ''The Whale of the Victoria Cross'', is about a
blue whale
The blue whale (''Balaenoptera musculus'') is a marine mammal and a baleen whale. Reaching a maximum confirmed length of and weighing up to , it is the largest animal known to have ever existed. The blue whale's long and slender body can ...
which befriends the British task force.
* The comic strip ''
Bloom County
''Bloom County'' is an American comic strip by Berkeley Breathed which originally ran from December 8, 1980, until August 6, 1989. It examined events in politics and culture through the viewpoint of a fanciful small town in Middle America, whe ...
'' featured several story lines taking place during the Falklands War.
*
Raymond Briggs
Raymond Redvers Briggs (18 January 1934 – 9 August 2022) was an English illustrator, cartoonist, graphic novelist and author. Achieving critical and popular success among adults and children, he is best known in Britain for his 1978 story ...
' picture book ''
The Tin-Pot Foreign General and the Old Iron Woman'' (1984) is a
satire
Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming ...
of the Falklands War.
* ''On Foreign Ground'' (1986) by Eduardo Quiroga, a novel in diary/letter form, tells of the war from the viewpoint of a young Argentine soldier.
* In
Stephen King's novella ''
The Langoliers'' (1990), the character Nick Hopewell is a Falklands veteran.
* ''Falklands 2: Argentina's Back and This Time It's Different'' (1997) by Jim Thorn is a technothriller about a fictional second invasion of the Falkland Islands.
* ''Las Islas'' (The Islands, 1998; translated 2012), a novel by
Carlos Gamerro
Carlos Gamerro is an Argentinean novelist, critic, and translator. He was born in Buenos Aires in 1962.
Gamerro has published six works of fiction, including the novels ''The Islands'' ( And Other Stories, 2012 UK and 2014 North American publicat ...
, is a satire of the war and the Argentine dictatorship, narrated by an Argentine veteran of the war.
* The first chapters of
Chris Ryan
Colin Armstrong (born 1961), usually known by the pseudonym and pen-name of Chris Ryan, is an author, television presenter, security consultant and former Special Air Service sergeant.
After the publication of fellow patrol member Andy McNa ...
's novel ''Land of Fire'' (2002) are set in the Falklands War, while the latter part involves a plot by a new military junta to re-invade the islands.
* The novel ''
Ghost Force'' (2006) by
Patrick Robinson depicts the Argentines reinvading the Falklands.
*
David Mitchell's
bildungsroman
In literary criticism, a ''Bildungsroman'' (, plural ''Bildungsromane'', ) is a literary genre that focuses on the psychological and moral growth of the protagonist from childhood to adulthood (coming of age), in which character change is import ...
''
Black Swan Green
''Black Swan Green'' is a semi-autobiographical novel written by David Mitchell, published in April 2006 in the U.S. and May 2006 in the UK. The bildungsroman's thirteen chapters each represent one month—from January 1982 through January 198 ...
'' (2006) is set in
Worcestershire
Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a county in the West Midlands of England. The area that is now Worcestershire was absorbed into the unified Kingdom of England in 927, at which time it was constituted as a county (see H ...
, England, in 1982, and contains many references to the Falklands War.
* Daniel E. Arias' novel ''That Forgotten Little War'' (2012) is about the intertwined lives of 14 participants in the Falkland War.
* ''The Captain's Story'' (2012) by Ray J. Cowling is a Falklands War novel about fictional Commander Mike Mansfield of the fictional Type 42 destroyer HMS ''Devonport''.
* ''A Stone's Throw'' (2015) by Lee Watts is set mainly in Belfast during the troubles but has several chapters concerning the Falklands conflict and Mount Longdon.
*
Ian McEwan
Ian Russell McEwan, (born 21 June 1948) is an English novelist and screenwriter. In 2008, ''The Times'' featured him on its list of "The 50 greatest British writers since 1945" and ''The Daily Telegraph'' ranked him number 19 in its list of th ...
's novel ''
Machines Like Me'' (2019) is set in an
alternate history in which Argentina won the Falklands War.
Non-fiction
The war provided a wealth of material for writers, and many dozens of books came from it; in the United Kingdom (UK) an account was
Max Hastings
Sir Max Hugh Macdonald Hastings (; born 28 December 1945) is a British journalist and military historian, who has worked as a foreign correspondent for the BBC, editor-in-chief of ''The Daily Telegraph'', and editor of the ''Evening Standard'' ...
and
Simon Jenkins' ''
The Battle for the Falklands''. Major General
Julian Thompson, of the Royal Marines, wrote his own account as commander in his 1985 book ''No Picnic: 3 Commando Brigade in the South Atlantic''. Other titles focused on the Sea Harrier (Sharkey Ward's ''
Sea Harrier over the Falklands''), the land battles leading up to the Argentine surrender (Christian Jennings and
Adrian Weale
Adrian Weale (born 9 February 1964) is a British writer, journalist, illustrator and photographer of Welsh origin. He was educated at Latymer Upper School, University of York, Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and the Joint Services Command and ...
's ''
Green Eyed Boys''), and the general experience of battle and life in the surrounding area (
Ken Lukowiak's ''A Soldier's Song'' and ''Marijuana Time''). Vincent Bramley's "
Forward into Hell" offers a less apologetic account of the War. In Argentina, one of the best-known is Commodore
Pablo Carballo
Commodore Pablo Marcos Rafael Carballo (born 11 December 1947) is a retired member of the Argentine Air Force - the ''Fuerza Aérea Argentina'' (FAA) - who fought in the 1982 Falklands War where he participated in actions that led to the sinking ...
's ''
Halcones de Malvinas'', a collection of personal experiences of fighter pilots and many others and mandatory reading for admission to the
FAA
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic m ...
's ''Escuela de Aviación Militar''.
Poetry
The Argentine writer
Jorge Luis Borges
Jorge Francisco Isidoro Luis Borges Acevedo (; ; 24 August 1899 – 14 June 1986) was an Argentine short-story writer, essayist, poet and translator, as well as a key figure in Spanish-language and international literature. His best-known b ...
, himself partly of British descent and raised bilingually in Spanish and English, wrote a short poem, called ''Juan López y John Ward'' (1985), about two fictional soldiers (one from each side), who died in the Falklands, in which he refers to "islands that were too famous". He also said about the war: "The Falklands thing was a fight between two bald men over a comb."
A large amount of poetry has been written on both sides, regarding the war. An Argentine example is "Elegy for the Argentine Dead Boys, in the South Atlantic" by Salvador Oria.
Comics
* The comic book ''
Hellblazer
''John Constantine, Hellblazer'' is an American contemporary horror comic-book series published by DC Comics since January 1988, and subsequently by its Vertigo imprint since March 1993, when the imprint was introduced. Its central character is ...
'', which unlike other comics, takes place in real time and shows present day crisis and contains social commentary about Britain. The Falklands War is one of those themes that were portrayed and mentioned upon in various issues and story arcs.
* The mini-series "Butcher, Baker, Candlestick Maker," later collected as Volume 10 of ''
The Boys'' features the central character, Billy Butcher, as an enlisted man in the Falklands War. Butcher frequently refers to the other side as "Argeys."
Music
Music referencing the war includes:
* The song "El Aguante" by
Puerto Rican band
Calle 13 from their album ''
Multi Viral'', which references the war among other events that Latin America and the world have had to "deal with" or "endure" ("aguante" in Spanish).
* The song "Glad It's All Over" by
Captain Sensible
Raymond Ian Burns (born 24 April 1954), known by the stage name Captain Sensible, is an English singer, songwriter and guitarist.
Captain Sensible co-founded the punk rock band the Damned, originally playing bass before switching to guitar. H ...
, is about the Falklands War.
* The Argentine punk-rock band
Los Violadores
Los Violadores are a rock band from Argentina, pioneers of the punk rock genre in Latin America.
History
Los Violadores ("The Violators", referring to 'breaking the law', as mentioned in one of their songs, "Violadores de la Ley") was founded in ...
wrote the song "Comunicado #166" at their album ''
Y ahora qué pasa ¿eh?''. The song is critical of the military Junta, and the role of the United States.
Pil Trafa
Enrique Chalar (February 1, 1959 in Buenos Aires – August 13, 2021 in Lima), better known as Pil Trafa, was an Argentine composer and singer. He is regarded as the pioneer of punk in Spanish in Latin America, with his band Los Violadores.
Bi ...
, the lead singer, commented in 2001 that Argentina should not try to annex the islands, but rather improve as a country, so that the Falklanders themselves would emigrate to Argentina.
* The song "The Right Side Won" by Dutch reggae group "What Fun!", was inspired by the Falklands War. It made the BBC Radio 1 playlist, but was quickly removed when the content of the lyrics became apparent.
* The Falklands War provided much of the subject matter for
Pink Floyd's album ''
The Final Cut'' (1983), written by
Roger Waters. The lyrics are highly critical of what it portrays as British
jingoism and of the Thatcher government's actions. A specific lyric (from the song "Get Your Filthy Hands Off My Desert") protesting the sinking of ARA ''General Belgrano'' reads: "...Galtieri took the Union Jack. And Maggie, over lunch one day, took a cruiser with all hands... apparently to make him give it back."
* Pop musician
Elvis Costello wrote the song "
Shipbuilding
Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to befo ...
" (1983) with
Clive Langer
Clive Langer (born 19 June 1954 in Hampstead, London, England) is an English record producer and songwriter, active from the mid-1970s onwards.
He usually works with Alan Winstanley. He composed the music for the films '' Still Crazy'' and '' ...
in response to the Falklands War. The song was originally written for
Robert Wyatt, whose version was released as a single in August 1982, a couple of months after the war had ended: Wyatt's recording was a Top 40 hit on the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
.
Written from the point of view of workers in a depressed shipbuilding town, it points out that their jobs only come at the expense of the lives lost in the war. 1984's "Peace in Our Time" (released under Costello's alias The Imposter) also references the "tiny island invaded".
* Argentine rock musician
Charly García recorded the song ''"No Bombardeen Buenos Aires" ("Do not bomb Buenos Aires"'') during the war and released it in his album ''Yendo De La Cama Al Living''. The song is about the socio-political climate in Argentina during the war.
* Much material produced around this time by the
anarchist punk
Punk or punks may refer to:
Genres, subculture, and related aspects
* Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres
* Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...
band
Crass
Crass were an English art collective and punk rock band formed in Epping, Essex in 1977, who promoted anarchism as a political ideology, a lifestylism, way of life, and a resistance movement. Crass popularised the anarcho-punk movement of the ...
was extremely critical of the war and its aftermath, in particular the album ''
Yes Sir, I Will
''Yes Sir, I Will'' was the fifth and penultimate album released in March 1983 by anarcho-punk band Crass. The album is a virulent attack on then-Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Margaret Thatcher and her government in the aftermath of the ...
'' (1983) and the singles "Sheep Farming in the Falklands" and "How Does it Feel to be the Mother of 1,000 Dead?" The latter, intended as a statement directed at Mrs. Thatcher, led to questions in Parliament and a request for prosecution for
obscenity from Conservative MP for
Enfield North,
Timothy Eggar
Timothy John Crommelin Eggar (born 19 December 1951) is a British businessman and former politician. He holds positions on the board of directors, boards of multiple organisations including Shiplake College and Cape plc, and was the Conservativ ...
. Crass were also responsible for
Thatchergate
Thatchergate was the colloquial title of a hoax perpetrated by members of the anarcho-punk band Crass during the aftermath of the 1982 Falklands War. Using excerpts from speeches by Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan, a recording was spliced t ...
, a
hoax tape, originally attributed to the
Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nation ...
KGB
The KGB (russian: links=no, lit=Committee for State Security, Комитет государственной безопасности (КГБ), a=ru-KGB.ogg, p=kəmʲɪˈtʲet ɡəsʊˈdarstvʲɪn(ː)əj bʲɪzɐˈpasnəsʲtʲɪ, Komitet gosud ...
, on which the spliced voice of Margaret Thatcher appears to imply that the destroyer
HMS ''Sheffield'' was deliberately sacrificed in order to escalate the conflict.
* The folk rock band
The Levellers wrote and produced the song "Another Man's Cause" featuring the lyrics "Your daddy well he died in the Falklands."
* Manchester group
The Fall released the single "Marquis Cha-Cha" (1983), which tells the story of a
Lord Haw-Haw
Lord Haw-Haw was a nickname applied to William Joyce, who broadcast Nazi propaganda to the UK from Germany during the Second World War. The broadcasts opened with "Germany calling, Germany calling", spoken in an affected upper-class English acc ...
type figure who broadcasts from Argentina but meets a sticky end.
*The song "Diego Paz wor nüngzehn" by German rock band
BAP
BAP or bap may refer to:
Food
* Bap (bread), a type of bread roll
* Bap (rice dish), a Korean food
Music
* BAP (Basque band), a hardcore punk group (formed 1984)
* BAP (German band), a Colognian rock group (formed 1976)
* B.A.P (South Korean ban ...
is about the Falklands War.
* British heavy metal band
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. While fluid in the early years of the band, the lineup for most of the band's history has consisted of Harri ...
recorded for their album ''
Virtual XI
''Virtual XI'' (pronounced "Virtual Eleven") is the eleventh studio album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden, released on 23 March 1998. It is the band's second and final album with Blaze Bayley on vocals. It also marks the first album to ...
'' (1998) a song called "Como Estais Amigos", about the Falklands War.
* Macclesfield-based punk band
The Macc Lads penned a typically un-
PC song called "Buenos Aires (1982, Falklands War Mix)" which included lyrics such as "Costa Mendez lives in fear / Of real men who can hold their beer!" and "hey hey hey / The lads are on their way / With their bayonets and tommy guns / and their bellies full of Boddingtons."
* Scottish anarcho-punk band
Oi Polloi's song about one of the victims
Simon Weston
Simon Weston (born 8 August 1961) is a Welsh veteran of the British Army who is known for his charity work and recovery from severe burn injuries suffered during the Falklands War.
Early life
Weston was born at Caerphilly District Miners ...
is also a clear condemnation of the war.
*
Joe Jackson's song "Tango Atlantico" (from the 1986 album ''
Big World
''Big World'' is a 1986 live album of original songs by Joe Jackson. The album was recorded in front of an invited audience at the Roundabout Theatre, East 17th Street in New York City on 23, 24 and 25 January 1986 (except "Man in the Stree ...
'') represents a look back at the Falklands War.
* The title track of
The Exploited
The Exploited are a Scottish punk rock band from Edinburgh, formed in 1979 by Stevie Ross and Terry Buchan, with Buchan soon replaced by his brother Wattie Buchan. They signed to Secret Records in March 1981, 's album ''
Let's Start a War'' (1983) directly addresses the Falklands War, implying Margaret Thatcher started it almost on a whim, for her own benefit and to take the focus away from other problems Britain was facing at the time, such as unemployment.
* On their album ''
From Here to Eternity: Live'' (1999),
The Clash
The Clash were an English rock band formed in London in 1976 who were key players in the original wave of British punk rock. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they also contributed to the and new wave movements that emerged in the w ...
substitute a line in the song "
Career Opportunities" for "I don't wanna die, fighting in the Falkland Strait" which was a common
ad-lib
In music and other performing arts, the phrase (; from Latin for 'at one's pleasure' or 'as you desire'), often shortened to "ad lib" (as an adjective or adverb) or "ad-lib" (as a verb or noun), refers to various forms of improvisation.
The r ...
during their set at the time.
* Some people in Britain took the song "
Six Months in a Leaky Boat
"Six Months in a Leaky Boat" is a song by New Zealand art rock group Split Enz. It was released in May 1982 as the second single from the group's seventh studio album, '' Time and Tide''. The title is a reference to the time it took pioneers to ...
" by the New Zealand pop group
Split Enz
Split Enz were a New Zealand rock band formed in Auckland in 1972 by Tim Finn and Phil Judd and had a variety of other members during its existence. Originally started as a folk-oriented group with quirky art rock stylings, the band built ...
to be a criticism of the war, and the song was banned by the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
. The group denied that this was the song's intent particularly because the song was recorded earlier in 1982.
* "