The General (Sillitoe novel)

The General is a 1960 novel by the British writer Alan Sillitoe. Unlike his previous realist works, the novel relies heavily on abstract symbolism.

During a war a General intercepts an orchestra and imprisons them in a barn where he and the orchestra leader debate the major issues of life. Eventually, won over, the General releases them and is in turn arrested by his own soldiers for disobeying orders.