Passport to Hell

Passport to Hell is the story of James Douglas Stark - Starkie - and his war.

Journalist and novelist Robin Hyde came across Starkie while reporting in Mt Eden Gaol in the 1930s and immediately knew she had to write his 'queer true terrible story'. The result was greeted by John A. Lee, war veteran, author and politician, as 'the most important New Zealand war book yet published'.

Hyde took the raw horrors, respites and reversals of Starkie's experiences and composed a work of literature much greater than a mere documentary of war. She portrays a man looting a dead man's money-belt and filching beer from the Tommies; attempting to shoot a sergeant in a haze of absinthe, yet carrying his wounded captain back across No Man's Land; a man recommended for the V.C. and honoured for his bravery - but also subject to nine court martials.

In its psychological acuity and emotional depth, Passport to Hell is one of the finest war books we have. Robin Hyde was one of New Zealands true literary trailblazers, and in this book she redefined the parameters of novel and memoir.

Published to mark the centenary of WWI, this quintessential New Zealand war story, this newly reset edition includes Hydes final authorized text from 1937 and an introduction and notes by D. I. B. Smith. ANZAC Newsletter 2015...