Under Fire: The Story of a Squad

by Henri Barbusse

"Under Fire: The Story of a Squad" by Henri Barbusse is a novel published in December 1916, among the first works about World War I. Based on Barbusse's experiences as a French soldier on the Western Front, it follows a squad of French infantry through journal-like anecdotes of trench warfare. The novel became a phenomenal success and profoundly influenced the Lost Generation movement, particularly Ernest Hemingway and Erich Maria Remarque. Its unflinching realism and courage in depicting the war's brutality earned it the Prix Goncourt in 1916.