Seven years ago I picked up Steven Pressfield's narrative rendition of Alexander the Great's conquests, entitled Virtues of War, and was completely hooked by his extraordinary attention to detail. In the novel Pressfield demonstrated his vast knowledge of the people, places, and most importantly, the spirit of those ancient times.
When he released Virtue's sequel The Afghan Campaign two years later it was evident his passion for detail hadn't dimmed in the least.
Over all these years, a passage written in that book, by Pressfield's character personae Stephanos of Aegae, has stuck with me. The passage is a poem, which is beautiful in its fierce simplicity and genuineness. The poem reads:
Experience has taught the soldier how to
pack his pannier, with the stuff he needs most
near the top, where he can get at it. In the outer pockets
he stows his onions and garlic, sealed tight so they don't
stink up the weather kit and half-fleece on the other side.
At the bottom, deep inside, he stashes those items that must
at all costs be protected, against dust, against being
dropped, against all elements. There, in the doeskin
you gave me, I keep your letters, my darling wife.
Contents of The Afghan Campaign All rights reserved Steven Pressfield 2006.
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