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Eric Lomax

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The Railway Man Paperback – 2 Jan. 2014

by Eric Lomax (Author)

4.3 6,861 ratings

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During the Second World War Eric Lomax was forced to work on the notorious Burma-Siam Railway and was tortured by the Japanese for making a crude radio.

Left emotionally scarred and unable to form normal relationships, Lomax suffered for years until, with the help of his wife, Patti Lomax, and of the Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture, he came terms with what happened. Fifty years after the terrible events, he was able to meet one of his tormentors.

The Railway Man is a story of innocence betrayed, and of survival and courage in the face of horror.

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Print length

336 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Vintage
Publication date

2 Jan. 2014
Dimensions

12.7 x 2.03 x 19.81 cm
ISBN-10

0099583844
ISBN-13

978-0099583844
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From the Publisher

Product description

Review

What a great book. What a great man -- Harry Ritchie ― Daily Mail

Forget the grueling films, just read the brilliant books ― Independent

This beautiful, awkward book tells the story of a fine and awkward man. Here, I think, is an account that rises above mere timeliness and comes near to being a classic of autobiography -- Ian Jack ― Guardian

When I turned to the book, the complexity of Lomax's emotions came alive and burned off the page ― Independent

Of all the billions of words that have been written about the Second World War, with the exception of Churchill's Nobel Prize winning history, it is not an exaggeration to say there is no account of it more worth reading that this. Wistfully romantic, historically important, startling, horrifying and ultimately electrifyingly uplifting, The Railway Man is as indispensable as any book can be. -- Tom Peck ― Independent

About the Author

Eric Lomax was born in 1919. During the Second World War he was captured and tortured by the Japanese Army and forced to work on the notorious Burma-Siam railway. He met and forgave his torturer in 1995. He died in October 2012.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Vintage; Media tie-in edition (2 Jan. 2014)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 336 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0099583844
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0099583844
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 12.7 x 2.03 x 19.81 cm

Best Sellers Rank: 503,760 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- 196 in Japanese Historical Biographies

Customer reviews:
4.3 6,861 ratings

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4.3 out of 5

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David I. Howells

A brave and forgiving man....

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 19 October 2014

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This is a remarkable story about Eric Lomax, a train buff who entered the army during WW2 and eventually was set to work on the worse train set of all time...the Burma railway. Mr Lomax was obviously a very intelligent man and the prose of the book is a statement to that fact as it is beautifully written. The author also comes across as being quite an ordinary man but his ordeal after his capture in Malaya at the hands of the Japanese is anything but that. After being involved in building a clandestine radio, its discovery led to Eric Lomax's brutal torture and incarceration, an all to common story as a FEPOW but this story has a remarkable twist in that Mr Lomax is apparently the only FEPOW who eventually met one of his main tormentors. This then is not only a story of untold brutality and of the lifelong suffering it entailed but one of reconciliation between good and evil. It is also a story of a very brave man who must have had an untold reservoir of mental fortitude but also a man of integrity and compassion. His eventual act of forgiveness is an example to us all in this troubled world.

I have also watched the film and it is worth comparing the book and the film. This is a great film and Colin Firth (Lomax) and Nicole Kidman (Patti-his 2nd wife) do a great job. The film is in the main accurate but it does get dramatised in places. There is no 'ambush' meeting between Lomax and his protagonist as portrayed in the film, they both eventually meet in real life after corresponding for a couple of years. The film also only covers up to the point that Lomax was tortured and not his incarceration for over a year in a squalid brutal Singapore jail. In fact this brave man endured far more than is portrayed in the film!

Overall a great and enthralling read but another damming indictment of the treatment of POW's by the IJA.

One person found this helpful

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Siriam

An honest and unique personal testimony

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 22 December 2007

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The reason this book makes such an impact is that while numerous other books of WWII experiences and POW and torture on the Burma Railway have been written since that conflict ended, this has two additional and unique aspects that mark it out.

The first is of the writer having undergone treatment at the Medical Foundation (a charity that usually deals with torture victims of harsh political regimes in peacetime) as their first ex-serviceman with battle stress in 1988, 43 years after the war had ended!

The second is that he subsequently met with one of the Japanese soldiers who had participated in the torture sessions he had suffered, by a series of opportune circumstances and as part of his above recovery programme. It is a fact that while that Japanese soldier's role was solely as translator and not physical torturer, for the writer the focus of that person's role as he suffered given the questioning he underwent had led to him reserving most hatred for him in his memories of events.The evidence learnt that the individual had devoted himself since the end of the War to charitable works around the events in Asia had made little impact till they met.

By the end the reconciliation and forgiveness which the author had denied as possible up to that point occur since as he accepts the hating has to stop.

A remarkable personal testimony though I have to admit I found it owes as much to the honest and simple factual writing style including the many admissions of personal mistakes and naivete on events both pre and post the war as well as the errors that led to his suffering the fate he did in Asia after capture by the Japanese.

2 people found this helpful

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gilly cox

Very moving

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 15 January 2024

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Informative, detailed and overwhelming emotional. Once I started to read this, it was hard to stop, even in all its barbaric facts. My father was also a POW in the same area and also suffered horrendous cruelty that festered inside him all his remaining years. Thank you to those who have brought this overriding horror into the open.

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John Williams

A remarkable personal account by a remarkable man.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 2 October 2014

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I can't understand why anyone would give The Railway Man less than four stars. Perhaps some people were expecting a novel, with purple prose and dialogue, and all ends tied up. But life is not like that, and neither is this book. The reader should approach it for what it is, a very personal memoir, written not by a professional writer but by someone who is driven to know the truth and to record it. There may have been one or two 'boring' bits, but they are all necessary to the story. The style is very matter of fact, especially when one considers the horrors that are being described, but this just adds to the book's authenticity. It is clear that Lomax has a high regard for the truth, and strives to recall events as accurately as possible. For example, there are some things that happened to him that he cannot personally recall, but which other eye witnesses have told him about, and where this is the case he makes this clear.

Some have complained about the emphasis on steam railways, and have suggested that one need to be a railway buff to appreciate the book. I believe that anyone could enjoy this book; an interest in steam locomotives or a technical background are absolutely unnecessary. The book would have lost a great deal if Lomax's life-long passion and one of the things that helped him to endure such terrible experiences were to be edited out. One of the great things about books is their ability to take us into unfamiliar territory and to see life from someone else's point of view, so if you have no interest in railways perhaps this is a reason why this book really is for you.

I was perplexed when, at about 70% of the way through the book, the war ended and Lomax returned to Scotland. A long anti-climax seemed to loom ahead. However, the last part of the book is perhaps the most moving and intriguing part, so please don't stop at this point.

On a personal note, I had two uncles who took part in WWII. One was taken prisoner by the Japanese and worked on the Burma Railway, and the other was not. Reading this book has given me an idea as to why their personalities differed so greatly, and my memory of my uncle reinforces my belief that this is an excellent and honest book.

3 people found this helpful

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Jan-Willem

Extremely well written,

Reviewed in Germany on 5 August 2020

Verified Purchase

It made the stories that my grandfather used to tell me, from his time in Kanchanaburi, even better to understand. And really brought it "home". And very important for the next generations to learn.
that forgiveness is a wonderful gift.

Kedarnath Awati

An amazing true story of reconciliation between former adversaries

Reviewed in India on 4 May 2018

Verified Purchase

Nightmares and a dysfunctional lifestyle come to a head when Eric Lomax, a former signals officer during World War II, finds the love of his life and gets married rather late in his life. He is forced to reexamine the events surrounding his period of incarceration in a Japanese POW camp. He discovers that a translator who worked in the camp in Thailand where he was held is alive and Mr. Lomax decides to confront him...
Apart from the heart warming story there's also a quality to the prose that sets it apart from the run-of-the-mill autobiography. Also, Mr. Lomax's passion for all things connected to railways is a sort of a charming sub-plot to his narrative

One person found this helpful

L. McKellar

000 died in terrible circumstances building this jungle railway

Reviewed in Canada on 28 October 2014

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A story often ignored of the war in Asia. An extension to the "Bridge on the River Kwai" story. Over 100,000 died in terrible circumstances building this jungle railway. Didn't appear long in cinemas since, I suppose, just not enough blood, gore & action (although it is very graphic in torture scenes & psychological torture) BUT an excellent true story with superlative acting by Firth & Ervine. Most of today's audience wants action heroes. A shame to miss this movie on that account. A true education in the horrors of war & the healing power of forgiveness.

2 people found this helpful

Rébecca H

Perfect!

Reviewed in France on 25 February 2015

Verified Purchase

Delivery exactly on time as promised, book brand new as stated! Very happy with the transaction. Very reliable, it is fantastic.

KittyBell

The Railway Man

Reviewed in Italy on 7 August 2014

Verified Purchase

Scritto così bene. Piano , piano il lettore viene catturato e avvolto in una nuova dimensione di luoghi e azioni, spesso solamente accenata dalla storia moderna.
Meritevole, vero e assolutamente da leggere.

One person found this helpful

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