Henri Barbusse (; 17 May 1873 – 30 August 1935) was a French novelist and a member of the

French Communist Party The French Communist Party (french: Parti communiste français, ''PCF'' ; ) is a political party in France which advocates the principles of communism. The PCF is a member of the Party of the European Left, and its MEPs sit in the European Unit ...

. He was a lifelong friend of

Albert Einstein Albert Einstein ( ; ; 14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist, widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest and most influential physicists of all time. Einstein is best known for developing the theory ...

Life

The son of a French father and an English mother, Barbusse was born in

Asnières-sur-Seine Asnières-sur-Seine () is a Communes of France, commune in the Hauts-de-Seine Departments of France, department and Île-de-France Regions of France, region of north-central France. It lies on the left bank of the river Seine, some eight kilometr ...

, France in 1873.Time Magazine, Monday, 9 September 1935 Although he grew up in a small town, he left for

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

in 1889, at age 16. In 1914, at age 41, he enlisted in the

French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (french: Armée de Terre, ), is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces. It is responsible to the Government of France, along with the other components of the Armed For ...

and served on the western front during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Invalided out of the army three times, Barbusse would serve in the war for 17 months, until November 1915, when he was permanently moved into a clerical position due to pulmonary damage, exhaustion, and

dysentery Dysentery (UK pronunciation: , US: ), historically known as the bloody flux, is a type of gastroenteritis that results in bloody diarrhea. Other symptoms may include fever, abdominal pain, and a feeling of incomplete defecation. Complications ...

. On 8 June 1915, he is awarded the

Croix de guerre The ''Croix de Guerre'' (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awa ...

with citation. He was reformed on 1 June 1917. Barbusse first came to fame with the publication of his novel ''Le Feu'' (translated by

William Fitzwater Wray William Fitzwater Wray (1869''England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1837-1915'' – 16 December 1938),''The Bicycle'', UK, 13 December 1944, p3 who wrote under the pseudonym Kuklos, was a British journalist who was one of the most wide ...

as '' Under Fire'') in 1916, which was based on his experiences during World War I. By this time, Barbusse had become a pacifist, and his writing demonstrated his growing hatred of

militarism Militarism is the belief or the desire of a government or a people that a state should maintain a strong military capability and to use it aggressively to expand national interests and/or values. It may also imply the glorification of the mili ...

. ''Le Feu'' drew criticism at the time for its harsh naturalism, but won the

Prix Goncourt The Prix Goncourt (french: Le prix Goncourt, , ''The Goncourt Prize'') is a prize in French literature, given by the académie Goncourt to the author of "the best and most imaginative prose work of the year". The prize carries a symbolic reward o ...

in December 1916. In January 1918, he left France and moved to

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

, where he married a Russian woman and joined the

Bolshevik Party " Hymn of the Bolshevik Party" , headquarters = 4 Staraya Square, Moscow , general_secretary = Vladimir Lenin (first)Mikhail Gorbachev (last) , founded = , banned = , founder = Vladimir Lenin , newspaper ...

. His novel, ''Clarté'', is about an office worker who, while serving in the army, begins to realize that the imperialist war is a crime..

Vladimir Lenin Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov. ( 1870 – 21 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin,. was a Russian revolutionary, politician, and political theorist. He served as the first and founding head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 to 19 ...

commented that this novel was censored in France. The

Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution that took place in the former Russian Empire which began during the First World War. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and ad ...

had significant influence on Barbusse's life and work. He joined the

in 1923 and later traveled back to the Soviet Union. His later works, ''Manifeste aux Intellectuels'' (''Elevations'') (1930) and others, show a more revolutionary standpoint. Of these, the 1921 ''Le Couteau entre les dents'' (''The Knife Between My Teeth'') marks Barbusse's siding with

Bolshevism Bolshevism (from Bolshevik) is a revolutionary socialist current of Soviet Marxist–Leninist political thought and political regime associated with the formation of a rigidly centralized, cohesive and disciplined party of social revolution, fo ...

and the

October Revolution The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key moment ...

. Barbusse characterized the birth of Soviet Russia as "the greatest and most beautiful phenomenon in world history." The book ''Light from the Abyss'' (1919) and the collection of articles ''Words of a Fighting Man'' (1920) contain calls for the overthrow of capitalism. In 1925, Barbusse published ''Chains'', showing history as the unbroken chain of suffering of people and their struggle for freedom and justice. In the publicistic book ''The Butchers'', he exposes the White Terror in the

Balkan countries The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the whol ...

. In his 1928 book ''Voici ce qu'on a fait de la Géorgie'', Barbusse praised post-

sovietization Sovietization (russian: Советизация) is the adoption of a political system based on the model of soviets (workers' councils) or the adoption of a way of life, mentality, and culture modelled after the Soviet Union. This often included ...

political, social, and economic conditions in

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, triggering a critical response from the Georgian émigré Dathico Charachidze who published in 1929 ''Barbusse, les Soviets et la Géorgie'', with a sympathetic preface by

Karl Kautsky Karl Johann Kautsky (; ; 16 October 1854 – 17 October 1938) was a Czech-Austrian philosopher, journalist, and Marxist theorist. Kautsky was one of the most authoritative promulgators of orthodox Marxism after the death of Friedrich Engels in ...

. In 1927, Barbusse participated in the Congress of Friends of the Soviet Union in Moscow. He led the World Congress Against Imperialist War (Amsterdam, 1932) and headed the

World Committee Against War and Fascism The World Committee Against War and Fascism was an international organization sponsored by the Communist International, that was active in the struggle against Fascism in the 1930s. During this period Adolf Hitler came to power in Germany, Italy in ...

, founded in 1933. He also took part in the work of the International Youth Congress (Paris, 1933) and the International Congress of Writers in Defense of Culture. Additionally, in the 1920s and 1930s, he edited the periodicals ''

Monde A ''monde'', meaning 'world' in French, is an orb located near the top of a crown. It represents, as the name suggests, the world that the monarch rules. It is the point at which a crown's half arches meet. It is usually topped off either w ...

'' (1928–1935) and ''Progrès Civique'', which published some of

George Orwell Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950), better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English novelist, essayist, journalist, and critic. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to totalitar ...

's first writings. He was also

literary editor A literary editor is an editor in a newspaper, magazine or similar publication who deals with aspects concerning literature and books, especially reviews.

for the daily newspaper ''

l'Humanité ''L'Humanité'' (; ), is a French daily newspaper. It was previously an organ of the French Communist Party, and maintains links to the party. Its slogan is "In an ideal world, ''L'Humanité'' would not exist." History and profile Pre-World Wa ...

'' from 1926 to 1929. In 1934, Barbusse sent

Egon Kisch Egon Erwin Kisch (29 April 1885 – 31 March 1948) was an Austrian and Czechoslovak writer and journalist, who wrote in German. He styled himself ''Der Rasende Reporter'' (The Raging Reporter) for his countless travels to the far corners of the g ...

to Australia to represent the International Movement Against War and Fascism as part of his work for the

Comintern The Communist International (Comintern), also known as the Third International, was a Soviet Union, Soviet-controlled international organization founded in 1919 that advocated world communism. The Comintern resolved at its Second Congress to ...

. The resulting unsuccessful exclusion of Egon Kisch from Australia by the Conservative Australian Government succeeded in energizing Communism in Australia and resulted in Kisch's staying longer than Barbusse had intended. An associate of

Romain Rolland Romain Rolland (; 29 January 1866 – 30 December 1944) was a French dramatist, novelist, essayist, art historian and Mysticism, mystic who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1915 "as a tribute to the lofty idealism of his literary pro ...

's and editor of ''Clarté'', he attempted to define a "

proletarian literature Proletarian literature refers here to the literature created by left-wing writers mainly for the class-conscious proletariat. Though the ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' states that because it "is essentially an intended device of revolution", it is ...

", akin to ''

Proletkult Proletkult ( rus, Пролетку́льт, p=prəlʲɪtˈkulʲt), a portmanteau of the Russian words "proletarskaya kultura" (proletarian culture), was an experimental Soviet artistic institution that arose in conjunction with the Russian Revolut ...

'' and

Socialist realism Socialist realism is a style of idealized realistic art that was developed in the Soviet Union and was the official style in that country between 1932 and 1988, as well as in other socialist countries after World War II. Socialist realism is ch ...

. Barbusse was the author of a 1936 biography of

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secreta ...

, titled ''Staline: Un monde nouveau vu à travers un homme'' (''Stalin. A New World Seen Through the Man''). Barbusse was an

Esperantist An Esperantist ( eo, esperantisto) is a person who speaks, reads or writes Esperanto. According to the Declaration of Boulogne, a document agreed upon at the first World Esperanto Congress in 1905, an Esperantist is someone who speaks Esperanto ...

, and was honorary president of the first congress of the

Sennacieca Asocio Tutmonda Sennacieca Asocio Tutmonda (SAT; en, World Anational Association) is an independent worldwide cultural Esperanto association of a general left-wing orientation. Its headquarters are in Paris. According to Jacques Schram, chairman of the Executi ...

. In 1921, he wrote an article titled "Esperantista Laboristo" ("Esperantist worker") for ''Esperanto'' journal.

Death

While writing a second biography of Stalin in Moscow, Barbusse fell ill with

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

and died on 30 August 1935. His funeral drew 500,000 people and he is buried at the

Père Lachaise Cemetery Père Lachaise Cemetery (french: Cimetière du Père-Lachaise ; formerly , "East Cemetery") is the largest cemetery in Paris, France (). With more than 3.5 million visitors annually, it is the most visited necropolis in the world. Notable figures ...

in Paris.

Legacy

In the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...

in December 1936 the

Henri Barbusse Battalion The Henri Barbusse Battalion was a French International Brigade battalion during the Spanish Civil War. The Battalion served in the XIV International Brigade. It was named after French communist and writer, Henri Barbusse, who died in 1935. Histor ...

was formed as part of the

XIV International Brigade 300px, A memorial commemorating the International Brigades The XIV International Brigade was one of several international brigades that fought for the Spanish Second Republic during the Spanish Civil War. History and structure It was raised on ...

, named in honour of Henri Barbusse. In the foreword to ''I Saw It Happen'', a 1942 collection of eyewitness accounts of the war,

Lewis Gannett Lewis Gannett is an American writer. He is the author of the books ''The Living One'', ''Magazine Beach'', ''The Siege'', and two ''Millennium A millennium (plural millennia or millenniums) is a period of one thousand years, sometimes called ...

wrote: " ..We shall be hearing and reading of this war for decades to come. No one of us can yet guess who will be its

Tolstoy Count Lev Nikolayevich TolstoyTolstoy pronounced his first name as , which corresponds to the romanization ''Lyov''. () (; russian: link=no, Лев Николаевич Толстой,In Tolstoy's day, his name was written as in pre-refor ...

s, its Barbusses, its Remarques and its Hemingways". The ''parc Henri Barbusse'' was the site of the

Château d'Issy The Château d'Issy, at Issy-les-Moulineaux, in the Hauts-de-Seine department of France, was a small French Baroque château on the outskirts of Paris. It was destroyed during the Paris Commune of 1871. History The small plot of land was bough ...

Works

*1895 – ''Pleureuses''; English translation:''The Hired Mourners'' (poetry) *1903 – ''Les Suppliants''; English translation ''The Supplicants'' (prose novel) *1908 – ''L'enfer''; English translation: ''

Hell In religion and folklore, hell is a location in the afterlife in which evil souls are subjected to punitive suffering, most often through torture, as eternal punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hell ...

'' (novel) *1912 – ''Meissonier''; (biography) *1916 – ''Le feu''; English translation: '' Under Fire'' (novel) *1921 – ''Le couteau entre les dents''; English translation: ''The Knife Between My Teeth'' (novel) *1921 – ''Quelque Coins du Coeur'' (prose pieces with 24 woodcuts by

Frans Masereel Frans Masereel (31 July 1889 – 3 January 1972) was a Flemish painter and graphic artist who worked mainly in France, known especially for his woodcuts focused on political and social issues, such as war and capitalism. He completed over ...

) *1923 – ''Esperantista Laboristo''; English translation: "Esperantist Worker" (magazine article) *1930 – ''Manifeste aux intellectuels''; English translation: ''Elevations'' (novel) *1936 – ''Staline: Un monde nouveau vu à travers un homme'' (biography); English translation:

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Barbusse, Henri 1873 births 1935 deaths People from Asnières-sur-Seine Bolsheviks French Communist Party members French anti-fascists French biographers French Esperantists French journalists 19th-century French novelists 20th-century French novelists 20th-century French male writers Marxist journalists Proletarian literature Writers from Île-de-France French military personnel of World War I Prix Goncourt winners Honorary Members of the USSR Academy of Sciences Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery French male novelists Deaths from pneumonia in the Soviet Union Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France) Male biographers