I was saddened by the death recently of Dr Piers Gray, former senior lecturer in English at Hong Kong University.
Four years ago I bought his book Marginal Men: Edward Thomas; Ivor Gurney; J R Ackerley, and found within its pages deep spiritual and intellectual insights into the sufferings of men who have experienced combat.
Thereafter, whenever my own wartime demons visited me I would reach for Marginal Men for solace, always to find that Dr Gray's deep understanding of such problems, and his ability to draw valuable, life-enhancing lessons from the anguish of the poetry under analysis, brought me out of depression and back with a lighter heart and calmer mind.
Last year I telephoned Dr Gray to thank him for this wonderful book, explaining that it had at times been a true lifeline.
PHILIP KNAUTH Sai Kung
