World War One - Minds at War - Le Feu
Download Minds at War - Le Feu
Completed in 1916, Le Feu was the first explicit account of conditions at the front. French soldier Henri Barbusse's novel proved a revelation to a French public sold a sentimental line by the press of the time. Yet Le Feu, with its deep insights into the emotions of men at war, was not seen as damaging to home-front morale. Here was a new kind of writing in which rural dialects and working-class accents conveyed heroism, and could be literary, even transcendent. Dr Heather Jones reflects on Barbusse's novel.
Published on Tuesday, 15th July 2014.
Available Podcasts from World War One
We are not the BBC, we only list available podcasts. To find out more about the programme including episodes available on BBC iPlayer, go to the World War One webpage.