Henri Barbusse (French)

Barbusse was born in 1873 at Asnieres, on the outskirts of Paris. His mother was English, from Yorkshire. She died when Henri was only a few years old. Barbusse became a journalist, like his father, and began to write poetry and fiction, initially he was relatively unsuccessful, but with the publication of "L'Enfer" in 1908 he achieved literary recognition. He was 41 when the war broke out. Although he was declared unfit for active service, and was known as a pacifist, he enlisted in the ranks. After many months at the Front, he was injured and spent 6 months in hospital, during which he wrote "Under Fire". He became a communist after the war. He died in Moscow in 1935 from pneumonia caught at an International political meeting.