Daniel Swift

Drones are a key component of U.S. military operations all over the world—in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Yemen. But, a number of critics question their efficacy and their expanded use on the battlefield and off. Daniel Swift explores the nature of aerial warfare—both manned and pilotless—in his article "Conjectural Damage: A History of Bombing." It appears in the November issues of Harper’s magazine.

Just as the trenches produced the most remarkable poetry of World War I, the bombing campaigns of World War II produced haunting poetry as it altered lives forever. Daniel Swift discusses the connections between poetry and WWII’s air war, and the life of his grandfather: a pilot with the 83rd Squadron of the Royal Air Force, who died in the war. Bomber County: The Poetry of a Lost Pilot’s War is about Swift’s search for his lost grandfather and an investigation into the experience of bombing and being bombed.