Top 10: books about civil war

Michael Symmons Roberts has published four highly acclaimed volumes of poetry to date. He won the 2004 Whitbread poetry prize for his collection Corpus. He is currently working on a project for Welsh National Opera with composer James Macmillan, and his second novel, Breath.

For the Guardian, he compiled a top 10 list of books about civil war, with particular attention to "books that explored the particular challenge of peace in the aftermath."

One novel on his list:

Disgrace by JM Coetzee

A remarkable novel set in post-apartheid South Africa. Not directly addressing civil war, but it is a vivid exploration of the aftermath of civil conflict, the sheer difficulty of reconciliation and healing.

Read about the book that topped Michael Symmons Roberts's list.

--Marshal Zeringue