The War Prayer

War Prayer: Short story by Samuel Clemens (aka Mark Twain)Following Russia’s recent invasion of Ukraine, it seems appropriate to feature one of literature’s most famous “anti-war” stories. Written in 1905, this narrative essay by Samuel Clemens (aka Mark Twain) is a condemnation of the American imperialist agenda that led to the Spanish and Filipino-American Wars. With his usual sarcasm and wit, Twain brushes aside patriotic bravado and poignantly focuses on the suffering of combatants and civilians on both sides. Themes: patriotism, the horrors of war, the connection between the church (religion) and war, the selfish one-sidedness of war prayers vs. the universality of God.

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