Henri Barbusse

Under Fire Henri Barbusse

This book follows a squad of French volunteer soldiers on the front in France after the German invasion. The book opens and ends with broad visions shared by multiple characters. The anecdotes are episodic in nature, each with an individual chapter title. In contrast to many war novels which came before it, Under Fire describes war in gritty and brutal realism. A powerful and earnest portrayal of life at the frontline during World War I. Berbusse's depiction of the horrors and tragedies of war is staggeringly realistic. He draws the reader's attention to the appalling conditions in which soldiers lived and fought through various anecdotes. Highly perceptive and thought-provoking!Silence is obligatory. Besides, the rich and high-placed who have come here from all the ends of the earth, smitten by the same evil, have lost the habit of talking. They have withdrawn into themselves, to think of their life and of their death. A servant appears in the balcony, dressed in white and walking softly. She brings newspapers and hands them about.