''The Valorous Years'' is a
serial novella
A novella is a narrative prose fiction whose length is shorter than most novels, but longer than most short stories. The English word ''novella'' derives from the Italian ''novella'' meaning a short story related to true (or apparently so) facts ...
by
A. J. Cronin
Archibald Joseph Cronin (19 July 1896 – 6 January 1981), known as A. J. Cronin, was a Scottish physician and novelist. His best-known novel is ''The Citadel'' (1937), about a Scottish doctor who serves in a Welsh mining village before achievi ...
, initially published in
1940
A calendar from 1940 according to the Gregorian calendar, factoring in the dates of Easter and related holidays, cannot be used again until the year 5280.
Events
Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix.
January
*January ...
in ''
Good Housekeeping'' magazine. It is the moving story of a young man, Duncan Stirling, who, though his left arm is crippled by
polio
Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 70% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe s ...
, is determined to become a
physician
A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...
. Woven into Stirling’s life are three women — Margaret, whose charm and beauty cast a spell over him; Anna, a brilliant
surgeon
In modern medicine, a surgeon is a medical professional who performs surgery. Although there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon usually is also a licensed physician or received the same medical training as ...
who wants to heal his useless limb; and Jean, the compassionate daughter of a kindly country doctor, whom he later successes. The story was also printed in book form by various international publishers.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Valorous Years
1940 short stories
British short stories
British novellas
Short stories by A. J. Cronin
Works originally published in Good Housekeeping