World War II brought many poets and writers to Egypt where, in the intervals between active service or, in some cases, in the brief interludes between the fighting, they and many who had never written poetry before expressed the varied emotions they felt in verse. In 1943 some of these poems were published in Cairo in a slim volume entitled "Oasis". This volume contains all the original poems plus: a selec tion of published poems by Keith Douglas, Sidney Keyes, Hamish Henderson, John Jarmain, John Pudney and many others whose poetry equally eloquently describes the Desert War and the feelings and beliefs of those who took part; a collection of hitherto unpublished poems, submitted in the hand-written or typed originals which has been passed around hand to hand in the desert; and some first-hand accounts by contributors to give the setting to the poetry.

Companion volume to From Oasis into Italy: War Poems & Diaries from Africa & Italy, 1940-1946