The incredible literary legacy of the Falklands War

Tim Ripley highlights some of the many books and an award-winning drama to emerge in the 40 years since the 1982 conflict.

Surprisingly, for a war fought in the television age, there appears to be a never-ending supply of books published about the Falklands War. Many are now out of print, and you’ll need to scour your local second-hand bookshop or trawl re-seller sites for copies. However, to increase your understanding of the conflict, there is no shortage of reading.

Belgrano
Although Desmond Rice and Arthur Gavshon’s The Sinking of the Belgrano covered much more than just the sinking of the ship, it represented  the first time that an account from a member of the crew of HMS Conqueror had appeared in print. All images Key Publishing

The subject is just enormous, and it has been dissected from multiple viewpoints. British and Argentine views have been explored both from the perspective of senior commanders and lower-ranking personnel. Official histories and documents are now accessible online. Military analysts have looked at many aspects of the war to try to draw lessons. There have even been soldier poets and fiction books that draw on the experiences of the conflict.

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