The essay by the philosopher and writer is a necessary discourse on the dangers of the glorification of violence and the cult of heroism in times of warlike discourses in the face of new conflicts. The heroic epic is the traditional and effective form of the best war propaganda.

They are the patriotic values and masculine camaraderie that mobilize the young man willing to fight and sacrifice his life. In 2002, Monegal—professor of comparative literature and winner of the last National Essay Prize—published a first study on two works that addressed the Bosnian war. Since then, he has accumulated a very extensive archive of artistic objects—from literature to painting, from cinema to photography, even toys—that allow him to substantiate a powerful hypothesis. The epic discourse, formalized by the exhibition At War, is the adventure of knowing what the Silence of War is and what it means to be a hero in the age of war. The way of telling about the war is ideological without seeming so because it is a cognitive mechanism rooted in cultural tradition. Photographs of the torture at Abu Ghraib, with critical resonance, reappear in an exhibition in New York or in a mural in Baghdad. The classic photograph of the taking of Iwo Jima was recycled by Eastwood in the cinema - the language that conveys the most epic today. "Not giving in to the temptation of the epic, turning away from it, is taking a stand against the glorification of war and the cult of heroism," says Antonio Monegal, author of The Silence of War. The book is published by Simon & Schuster, priced at £16.99, and goes on sale in the UK on September 14. For more information, visit www.simonandschulder.com and www.the-silence-of-war.org. In the U.S., call the National Suicide Prevention Line on 1-800-273-8255 or visit http://www.suicideprevention.org/.