This Scottish author approached history, literature, and cultural studies from a left-leaning perspective. His work examined the social and political impacts of major historical events, critiquing the gap between wartime sacrifices and postwar outcomes. He paid particular attention to British society, exploring the myths and realities of the war period and the hopes for a more just society. His analyses often focused on the cultural and revolutionary aspects of societal change.
A collection of Angus Calder's work dealing with war and memory. Beginning with a section devoted to war memorials and the public remembrance of war, the collection then looks at the lived experience of war for the ordinary soldier.
The Second World War was, for Britain, a 'total war';
The Myth of the Blitz was nurtured at every level of society. Angus Calder provides a compelling examination of the events of 1940 and 1941 - when Britain 'stood alone' against the Luftwaffe - and of the Myth which sustained her 'finest hour'.