{"product_id":"the-complete-flying-officer-x-stories-paperback","title":"The Complete Flying Officer X Stories - Paperback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eH. E. Bates\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eIncludes an introduction by Patrick Bishop, bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eBomber Boys: Fighting Back 1940-1945\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Flying Officer X stories were written by H.E. Bates in his unprecedented role as an official war writer with the R.A.F. during WWII, where he animates the realities faced by pilots tasked with protecting the skies from enemy aircraft. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe resulting stories that appeared under the pseudonym Flying Officer X are portraits of individual pilots narrated by an observer who, like Bates, is on the inside of the air force without being a pilot. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThese portraits recount the personal history of the pilots, and convey the individual qualities and forces that motivate them. They blend the action and suspense of aerial battles, friendships cut off too soon, and life enduring against all odds. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn true Bates style, the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e noted \"These are tales told in impressive quiet, tales that are innocent of even the suggestion of flagrant heroism that colors so many stories about combat pilots.\" \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBloomsbury Reader is delighted to collect these stories into one volume for the first time, along with five additional stories from the same period, never before included in a collection: 'Fishers' sees a bond between two soldiers from very different walks of life; 'Happy Christmas Nastashya' sees an English officer encounter a young woman in service to her country in Russia; 'The Bell' follows a young flying officer as he travels back to a familiar pub to reminisce about a lost friend; 'From this Time forward' exposes the raw emotion of losing a loved one; and 'Three Thousand and One Hours of Sergeant Kostek' shows us a man of extraordinary character and flying ability.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eH. E. Bates was born in 1905 in the shoe-making town of Rushden, Northamptonshire, and educated at Kettering Grammar School. After leaving school, he worked as a reporter and as a clerk in a leather warehouse. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eMany of his stories depict life in the rural Midlands, particularly his native Northamptonshire, where he spent many hours wandering the countryside. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eHis first novel, \u003ci\u003eThe Two Sisters\u003c\/i\u003e (1926) was published by Jonathan Cape when he was just twenty. Many critically acclaimed novels and collections of short stories followed. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eDuring WWII he was commissioned into the RAF solely to write short stories, which were published under the pseudonym \"Flying Officer X\". His first financial success was \u003ci\u003eFair Stood the Wind for France\u003c\/i\u003e (1944), followed by two novels about Burma, The Purple Plain (1947) and \u003ci\u003eThe Jacaranda Tree\u003c\/i\u003e (1949) and one set in India, \u003ci\u003eThe Scarlet Sword\u003c\/i\u003e (1950). Other well-known novels include \u003ci\u003eLove for Lydia\u003c\/i\u003e (1952) and \u003ci\u003eThe Feast of July\u003c\/i\u003e (1954). \u003cbr\u003eHis most popular creation was the Larkin family which featured in five novels beginning with \u003ci\u003eThe Darling Buds of May\u003c\/i\u003e in 1958. The later television adaptation was a huge success. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eMany other stories were adapted for the screen, the most renowned being \u003ci\u003eThe Purple Plain\u003c\/i\u003e (1947) starring Gregory Peck, and \u003ci\u003eThe Triple Echo\u003c\/i\u003e (1970) with Glenda Jackson and Oliver Reed. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eH. E. Bates married in 1931, had four children and lived most of his life in a converted granary near Charing in Kent. He was awarded the CBE in 1973, shortly before his death in 1974.\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 246\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.56 x 9.25 x 6.02 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e June 14, 2018\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52533803876659,"sku":"9781448217366","price":24.28,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0300\/5595\/6612\/files\/c242L09XNHRVUHhHMTdUaXY3bVB5Zz09.webp?v=1760734604","url":"https:\/\/www.vysn.com\/en-ca\/products\/the-complete-flying-officer-x-stories-paperback","provider":"VYSN","version":"1.0","type":"link"}