Barbusse began his writing career with the publication of his neo-Symbolist poems in Pleureuses (1895-Mourners). Turning to the neo-Naturalist school, he published L'Enfer (The Inferno) in 1908. Barbusse volunteered for the army at the outbreak of war in 1914. He was twice cited for gallantry and took part in the battle of Verdun. He was subsequently discharged in 1917 due to battlefield wounds. In 1916, he published his most famous work, Le Feu: journal d'une escouade (Under Fire: A Story of a Squad), detailing his wartime experiences and winning him the coveted Prix Goncourt. Following the war, Barbusse became a pacifist and eventually turned to communism. In 1919, he published Clarte (Light), but thereafter, his work tended to be more political in nature. He went to Russia where he died while he was working on Staline (1935 - Stalin). |
Chrysoma Associates Limited
