First published 1916
The men of the French Sixth Battalion huddle in their trenches, waiting. They come from villages and cities across France, but the war has made them brothers in misery. Between the constant threat of death and the endless stretches of boredom, they cling to small comforts: hot rations when they arrive, a woman's smile glimpsed on leave, the temporary safety of a hospital bed. The mud never stops. The stench never fades. The fear never leaves. Each day brings the same question: will they see another sunrise? Barbusse draws from his own service in the Great War to show how ordinary men face extraordinary horror. These soldiers don't fight for glory or country. They fight to stay alive one more day.
Genres: fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, war
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family
Setting: France
Period: World War I
352 pages · Paperback · Penguin Publishing Group
Content warnings: violence, war