Literature about World War I is generally thought to include poems, novels and drama; diaries, letters, and memoirs are often included in this category as well. Although the canon continues to be challenged, the texts most frequently taught in schools and universities are lyrics by

Siegfried Sassoon Siegfried Loraine Sassoon (8 September 1886 – 1 September 1967) was an English war poet, writer, and soldier. Decorated for bravery on the Western Front, he became one of the leading poets of the First World War. His poetry both describ ...

and

Wilfred Owen Wilfred Edward Salter Owen MC (18 March 1893 – 4 November 1918) was an English poet and soldier. He was one of the leading poets of the First World War. His war poetry on the horrors of trenches and gas warfare was much influenced by ...

; poems by

Ivor Gurney Ivor Bertie Gurney (28 August 1890 – 26 December 1937) was an English poet and composer, particularly of songs. He was born and raised in Gloucester. He suffered from bipolar disorder through much of his life and spent his last 15 years in ps ...

, Edward Thomas,

Charles Sorley Captain Charles Hamilton Sorley (19 May 1895 – 13 October 1915) was a British Army officer and Scottish war poet who fought in the First World War. He was killed in action during the Battle of Loos in October 1915. Life and work Born in Powi ...

, David Jones and

Isaac Rosenberg Isaac Rosenberg (25 November 1890 – 1 April 1918) was an English poet and artist. His ''Poems from the Trenches'' are recognized as some of the most outstanding poetry written during the First World War. Early life Isaac Rosenberg was born ...

are also widely anthologised. Many of the works during and about the war were written by men because of the war's intense demand on the young men of that generation; however, a number of women (especially in the British tradition) created literature about the war, often observing the effects of the war on soldiers, domestic spaces, and the homefront more generally.

General

The spread of education in Britain in the decades leading up to World War I meant that British soldiers and the British public of all classes were literate. Professional and amateur authors were prolific during and after the war and found a market for their works. Literature was produced throughout the war - with women, as well as men, feeling the 'need to record their experiences' - but it was in the late 1920s and early 1930s that Britain had a boom in publication of war literature. The next boom period was in the 1960s, when there was renewed interest in World War I during the fiftieth anniversaries and after two decades focused on World War II.

Poetry

Published poets wrote over two thousand poems about and during the war. However, only a small fraction still is known today, and several poets that were popular with contemporary readers are now obscure. An orthodox selection of poets and poems emerged during the 1960s, which often remains the standard in modern collections and distorts the impression of World War I poetry. This selection tends to emphasise the horror of war, suffering, tragedy and anger against those that wage war. In the early weeks of the war, British poets responded with an outpouring of literary production.

Rudyard Kipling Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English novelist, short-story writer, poet, and journalist. He was born in British India, which inspired much of his work. ...

's ''For all we have and are'' was syndicated extensively by newspapers in English speaking countries.

Robert Bridges Robert Seymour Bridges (23 October 1844 – 21 April 1930) was an English poet who was Poet Laureate from 1913 to 1930. A doctor by training, he achieved literary fame only late in life. His poems reflect a deep Christian faith, and he is ...

contributed a poem ''Wake Up, England!'' at the outbreak of war that he later wished suppressed.,

John Masefield John Edward Masefield (; 1 June 1878 – 12 May 1967) was an English poet and writer, and Poet Laureate from 1930 until 1967. Among his best known works are the children's novels ''The Midnight Folk'' and ''The Box of Delights'', and the poem ...

, who later succeeded Bridges as poet laureate, wrote ''August, 1914'', a poem that was admired widely.

was killed in battle; but his poems created at the front did achieve popular attention after the war's end,.e.g.,

Dulce Et Decorum Est "Dulce et Decorum est" is a poem written by Wilfred Owen during World War I, and published posthumously in 1920. The Latin title is taken from Ode 3.2 (''Valor'') of the Roman poet Horace and means "it is sweet and fitting". It is followed by ...

Insensibility "Insensibility" is a poem written by Wilfred Owen during the First World War which explores the effect of warfare on soldiers, and the long- and short-term psychological effects that it has on them. The poem's title refers to the fact that the s ...

Anthem for Doomed Youth "Anthem for Doomed Youth" is a poem written in 1917 by Wilfred Owen. It incorporates the theme of the horror of war. Style Like a traditional Petrarchan sonnet, the poem is divided into an octave and sestet. However, its rhyme scheme is neither ...

Futility Futility or Futile may refer to: *''Futility, or the Wreck of the Titan'', an 1898 novel * "Futility" (poem), 1918 poem by Wilfred Owen * ''Futile'' (EP), a 2003 EP album by Porcupine Tree * ''Futility'' (album), a 2004 album of the industrial dea ...

and Strange Meeting. In preparing for the publication of his collected poems, Owen tried to explain: Epic poem

In Parenthesis ''In Parenthesis'' is an epic poem of the First World War by David Jones first published in England in 1937. Although Jones had been known solely as an engraver and painter prior to its publication, the poem won the Hawthornden Prize and the admi ...

David Jones (artist-poet) Walter David Jones CH, CBE (1 November 1895 – 28 October 1974) was a painter and modernist poet of partly Welsh background. As a painter he worked mainly in watercolour on portraits and animal, landscape, legendary and religious subjects. He ...

has also been widely hailed as a masterpiece. The poem

In Flanders Fields "In Flanders Fields" is a war poem in the form of a rondeau, written during the First World War by Canadian physician Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae. He was inspired to write it on May 3, 1915, after presiding over the funeral of friend and f ...

John McCrae Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae (November 30, 1872 – January 28, 1918) was a Canadian poet, physician, author, artist and soldier during World War I, and a surgeon during the Second Battle of Ypres, in Belgium. He is best known for writing the ...

continues to be one of the more popular wartime poems in Canada, and has achieved a status where it is recognized as one of the country's most notable unofficial symbols. The

expressionist Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it rad ...

poet

August Stramm August Stramm (29 July 1874 – 1 September 1915) was a German war poet and playwright who is considered the first of the expressionists. Stramm's radically experimental verse and his major influence on all subsequent German poetry has caused him ...

wrote some of Germany's important poems about the war. From the war itself until the late 1970s, the genre of war poetry was almost exclusively reserved for male poets. This was based on an idea of an exclusive authenticity limited to the works of those who had fought and died in the war. It excluded other forms of experience in the war, such as mourning, nursing and the home front, which were more likely to be experienced by other demographics such as women. There were over 500 women writing and publishing poetry during World War I. Examples of poems by female poets include

Teresa Hooley Teresa Mary Hooley (1888–1973) was an English poet, known in later life as Mrs. F. H. Butler. She is known mostly for her war poem ''A War Film'', about World War I. Biography She was born in Risley, Derbyshire, and (accordingly to a letter fr ...

's ''A War Film'',

Jessie Pope Jessie Pope (18 March 1868 – 14 December 1941) was an English poet, writer, and journalist, who remains best known for her patriotic, motivational poems published during World War I.''Minds at War'' the Poetry and Experience of the First worl ...

's ''War Girls'', and Mary H.J. Henderson's ''An Incident''. In addition to giving women greater access to work, the war also gave women greater artistic freedom and space to express their identities as artists.

Novels

A common subject for fiction in the 1920s and 1930s was the effect of the war, including

shell shock Shell shock is a term coined in World War I by the British psychologist Charles Samuel Myers to describe the type of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) many soldiers were afflicted with during the war (before PTSD was termed). It is a react ...

and the huge social changes caused by the war. From the latter half of the 20th century onwards, World War I continued to be a popular subject for fiction, mainly novels.

Contemporary

Alfred Noyes Alfred Noyes CBE (16 September 188025 June 1958) was an English poet, short-story writer and playwright. Early years Noyes was born in Wolverhampton, England the son of Alfred and Amelia Adams Noyes. When he was four, the family moved to Abe ...

is often portrayed by hostile critics as a

militarist 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 ...

and

jingoist Jingoism is nationalism in the form of aggressive and proactive foreign policy, such as a country's advocacy for the use of threats or actual force, as opposed to peaceful relations, in efforts to safeguard what it perceives as its national inter ...

despite being a pacifist in life.Featherstone, Simon. ''War Poetry: An Introductory Reader''. Routledge, 1995, pp. 28, 56-57. In 1913, when it seemed that war might yet be avoided, he published a long anti-war poem called ''The Wine Press''. During World War I, Noyes was debarred by defective eyesight from serving at the front. Instead, from 1916, he did his military service on attachment to the

Foreign Office Foreign may refer to: Government * Foreign policy, how a country interacts with other countries * Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in many countries ** Foreign Office, a department of the UK government ** Foreign office and foreign minister * Unit ...

, where he worked with

John Buchan John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir (; 26 August 1875 – 11 February 1940) was a Scottish novelist, historian, and Unionist politician who served as Governor General of Canada, the 15th since Canadian Confederation. After a brief legal career ...

propaganda Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded ...

.Mason, Mark
"Alfred Noyes"
, Literary Heritage: West Midlands. This included work as a literary figure, writing morale-boosting short stories and exhortatory odes and lyrics recalling England's military past and asserting the morality of her cause. These works are forgotten today apart from two ghost stories, "The ''Lusitania'' Waits" and "The Log of the Evening Star", which are still occasionally reprinted in collections of tales of the uncanny. ''

Im Westen nichts Neues ''All Quiet on the Western Front'' (german: Im Westen nichts Neues, lit=Nothing New in the West) is a novel by Erich Maria Remarque, a German veteran of World War I. The book describes the German soldiers' extreme physical and mental trauma d ...

'' (''"All Quiet on the Western Front"''),

Erich Maria Remarque Erich Maria Remarque (, ; born Erich Paul Remark; 22 June 1898 – 25 September 1970) was a German-born novelist. His landmark novel '' All Quiet on the Western Front'' (1928), based on his experience in the Imperial German Army during Worl ...

's best-selling book about World War I, was translated into 28 languages with world sales nearly reaching 4 million in 1930. The work of fiction, and the award-winning

film adaptation A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dial ...

have had a greater influence in shaping public views of the war than the work of any historian.

John Galsworthy John Galsworthy (; 14 August 1867 – 31 January 1933) was an English novelist and playwright. Notable works include ''The Forsyte Saga'' (1906–1921) and its sequels, ''A Modern Comedy'' and ''End of the Chapter''. He won the Nobel Prize i ...

's perspective was quite different in 1915 when he wrote ::Those of us who are able to look back from thirty years hence on this tornado of death — will conclude with a dreadful laugh that if it had never come, the state of the world would be very much the same. It is not the intention of these words to deny the desperate importance of this conflict now that it has been joined ... Remarque's book was partly based on

Henri Barbusse Henri Barbusse (; 17 May 1873 – 30 August 1935) was a French novelist and a member of the French Communist Party. He was a lifelong friend of Albert Einstein. Life The son of a French father and an English mother, Barbusse was born in Asnièr ...

's 1916 novel '' Under Fire''. Barbusse was a French journalist who served as a stretcher-bearer on the front lines, and his book was very influential in its own right at the time. By the end of the war, it had sold almost 250,000 copies and read by servicemen of many nations. British novelist

Mary Augusta Ward Mary Augusta Ward (''née'' Arnold; 11 June 1851 – 24 March 1920) was a British literature, British novelist who wrote under her married name as Mrs Humphry Ward. She worked to improve education for the poor and she became the founding Pres ...

wrote generally pro-war novels, some at the request of United States President

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

, which nevertheless raised questions about the war. These include '' England's Effort'' (1916), '' Towards the Goal'' (1917), ''

Missing Missing or The Missing may refer to: Film * ''Missing'' (1918 film), an American silent drama directed by James Young * ''Missing'' (1982 film), an American historical drama directed by Costa-Gavras * ''Missing'' (2007 film) (''Vermist''), a Bel ...

'' (1917), '' The War and Elizabeth'' (1917) and '' Fields of Victory'' (1919). Some pre-existing popular literary characters were placed by their authors in World War I-related adventures during or directly after the war. These include

Tom Swift Tom Swift is the main character of six series of American juvenile science fiction and adventure novels that emphasize science, invention, and technology. First published in 1910, the series totals more than 100 volumes. The character was ...

(''

Tom Swift and His Aerial Warship ''Tom Swift and His Aerial Warship'', or, The Naval Terror of the Seas, is Volume 18 in the original Tom Swift novel series published by Grosset & Dunlap. Plot summary The story was written in 1915, and World War I, also known as The Great Wa ...

'' in 1915 and '' Tom Swift and His Air Scout'' in 1919),

Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a " consulting detective" in the stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with observation, deduction, forensic science and ...

(''

His Last Bow ''His Last Bow: Some Reminiscences of Sherlock Holmes'' is a 1917 collection of previously published Sherlock Holmes stories by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle, including the titular short story, " His Last Bow. The War Service of Sherlock Hol ...

'', 1917) and

Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton II, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adv ...

(''

Tarzan the Untamed ''Tarzan the Untamed'' is a book by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, the seventh in his series of twenty-four books about the title character Tarzan. It was originally published as two separate stories serialized in different pulp magazines; ...

'', 1920).

Post-war

A.P. Herbert Sir Alan Patrick Herbert Order of the Companions of Honour, CH (A. P. Herbert, 24 September 1890 – 11 November 1971), was an English humorist, novelist, playwright, law reformist, and in 1935–1950 an Independent (politician), independent Mem ...

was one of the first combatants to publish a novel about the war, ''

The Secret Battle ''The Secret Battle'' is a novel by A. P. Herbert, first published in 1919. The book draws upon Herbert's experiences as a junior infantry officer in the First World War, and has been praised for its accurate and truthful portrayal of the mental ...

'' (1919). This was followed in subsequent years by others, including ''

Through the Wheat ''Through the Wheat'', published in 1923, was the first book published by Thomas Alexander Boyd, about the experiences of a young American Marine during World War I. Book synopsis ''Through the Wheat'' follows the experience of William Hicks, an a ...

'' (1923) by

Thomas Alexander Boyd Thomas Alexander Boyd (July 3, 1898 – January 27, 1935) was an American journalist and novelist, born in Defiance, Ohio. Boyd was raised by his mother's family due to his father's death before he was born. While still in school, he and a f ...

, the "Spanish Farm Trilogy"—'' Sixty-Four'' (1925), '' Ninety-Four'' (1925) and '' The Crime at Vanderlynden's'' (1926)—by

Ralph Hale Mottram Ralph Hale Mottram FRSL (30 October 1883 – 16 April 1971) was an English writer. A lifelong resident of Norfolk, he was well known as a novelist, in particular for his "Spanish Farm trilogy",Cameron SelfMousehold Heath, Norwichin ''Literary Nor ...

, ''

Death of a Hero ''Death of a Hero'' is a World War I novel by Richard Aldington. It was his first novel, published by Chatto & Windus in 1929, and thought to be partly autobiographical. Plot summary ''Death of a Hero'' is the story of a young English artist na ...

'' (1929) by

Richard Aldington Richard Aldington (8 July 1892 – 27 July 1962), born Edward Godfree Aldington, was an English writer and poet, and an early associate of the Imagist movement. He was married to the poet Hilda Doolittle (H. D.) from 1911 to 1938. His 50-year w ...

, '' The Middle Parts of Fortune'' (1929) by

Frederic Manning Frederic Manning (22 July 188222 February 1935) was an Australian poet and novelist. Biography Born in Sydney, Manning was one of eight children of local politician Sir William Patrick Manning. His family were Roman Catholics of Irish origin. ...

, ''

The Patriot's Progress ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in En ...

'' (1930) by

Henry Williamson Henry William Williamson (1 December 1895 – 13 August 1977) was an English writer who wrote novels concerned with wildlife, English social history and ruralism. He was awarded the Hawthornden Prize for literature in 1928 for his book ''Tarka ...

, ''

Generals Die in Bed ''Generals Die in Bed'' is an anti-war novella by the Canadian writer Charles Yale Harrison. Based on the author's own experiences in combat, it tells the story of a young soldier fighting in the trench warfare, trenches of World War I. It was fi ...

'' by Charles Yale Harrison (1930) and ''

Winged Victory The ''Winged Victory of Samothrace'', or the ''Nike of Samothrace'', is a votive monument originally found on the island of Samothrace, north of the Aegean Sea. It is a masterpiece of Greek sculpture from the Hellenistic era, dating from the beg ...

'' (1934) by Victor Maslin Yeates. ''

Parade's End ''Parade's End'' is a tetralogy of novels by the British novelist and poet Ford Madox Ford, written from 1924 to 1928. The novels chronicle the life of a member of the English gentry before, during and after World War I. The setting is mainly ...

'' by

Ford Madox Ford Ford Madox Ford (né Joseph Leopold Ford Hermann Madox Hueffer ( ); 17 December 1873 – 26 June 1939) was an English novelist, poet, critic and editor whose journals ''The English Review'' and ''The Transatlantic Review'' were instrumental in ...

was a highly acclaimed

tetralogy A tetralogy (from Greek τετρα- ''tetra-'', "four" and -λογία ''-logia'', "discourse") is a compound work that is made up of four distinct works. The name comes from the Attic theater, in which a tetralogy was a group of three tragedies ...

of novels, published between 1924 and 1927, that covers the events of World War I and the years around it from the viewpoint of a government statistician who becomes an officer in the British Army during the war. The novels were based on Ford's own experience in the war after he had enlisted at age 41.

Willa Cather Willa Sibert Cather (; born Wilella Sibert Cather; December 7, 1873 – April 24, 1947) was an American writer known for her novels of life on the Great Plains, including ''O Pioneers!'', '' The Song of the Lark'', and ''My Ántonia''. In 1923, ...

wrote ''

One of Ours ''One of Ours'' is a 1922 novel by Willa Cather that won the 1923 Pulitzer Prize for the Novel. It tells the story of the life of Claude Wheeler, a Nebraska native in the first decades of the 20th century. The son of a successful farmer and an in ...

'' in 1922, and won the Pulitzer Prize in 1923 for her novel that tells the story of Claude Wheeler, a Nebraska farmer who escapes a loveless marriage to fight in the War. Critics like

H.L. Mencken Henry Louis Mencken (September 12, 1880 – January 29, 1956) was an American journalist, essayist, satirist, cultural critic, and scholar of American English. He commented widely on the social scene, literature, music, prominent politicians, ...

and

Sinclair Lewis Harry Sinclair Lewis (February 7, 1885 – January 10, 1951) was an American writer and playwright. In 1930, he became the first writer from the United States (and the first from the Americas) to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature, which was ...

panned the book, mostly because it romanticized war. Cather based Claude Wheeler on her cousin G.P. Cather, who was killed in 1918 at the

Battle of Cantigny The Battle of Cantigny, fought May 28, 1918 was the first major American battle and offensive of World War I. The U.S. 1st Division, the most experienced of the five American divisions then in France and in reserve for the French Army near the v ...

in France.

May Sinclair May Sinclair was the pseudonym of Mary Amelia St. Clair (24 August 1863 – 14 November 1946), a popular British writer who wrote about two dozen novels, short stories and poetry. She was an active suffragist, and member of the Woman Writers' S ...

volunteered with the

Munro Ambulance Corps The Munro Ambulance Corps was started in August 1914 by Hector Munro, who was one of the directors of the Medico-Psychological Clinic in London. The mission of the Corps was to move wounded troops from the battlefield to hospitals in Flanders durin ...

in 1914 and published her account of the front in Belgium as '' A Journal of Impressions in Belgium'' (1915). She followed this with three novels about the war, '' Tasker Jevons'' (1916), ''The Tree of Heaven'' (1917) and '' The Romantic'' (1920). Journalist

Evadne Price Evadne Price (28 August 1888 – 17 April 1985), probably born Eva Grace Price, was an Australian-British writer, actress, astrologer and media personality. She also wrote under the pseudonym Helen Zenna Smith. She is now best remembered fo ...

wrote a semi-biographical novel '' Not So Quiet: Stepdaughters of War'' (1930) about ambulance drivers based on women she had interviewed.

W. Somerset Maugham William Somerset Maugham ( ; 25 January 1874 – 16 December 1965) was an English writer, known for his plays, novels and short stories. Born in Paris, where he spent his first ten years, Maugham was schooled in England and went to a German un ...

's '' Ashenden: Or the British Agent'' (1928), a collection of short stories, was based on the author's experience with British Intelligence during the war. It was loosely adapted into the film ''

Secret Agent Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence) from non-disclosed sources or divulging of the same without the permission of the holder of the information for a tangib ...

'' (1936), directed by

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...

, and a 1991

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

TV series. German author Hans Herbert Grimm wrote a novel ''Schlump'' in 1928 which was published anonymously due to its satirical and anti-war tone, loosely based on the author's own experiences as a military policeman in German-occupied France during WW1. The novel was banned by the Nazis in 1933 and Grimm was not credited as the author until 2013. British novelist W.F. Morris wrote two mystery novels set in the Great War- ''Bretherton'' (1929) and ''Behind the Lines'' (1930). Morris served in the British army during the war. ''

A Farewell to Arms ''A Farewell to Arms'' is a novel by American writer Ernest Hemingway, set during the Italian campaign of World War I. First published in 1929, it is a first-person account of an American, Frederic Henry, serving as a lieutenant () in the am ...

'' is a novel by

Ernest Hemingway Ernest Miller Hemingway (July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and journalist. His economical and understated style—which he termed the iceberg theory—had a strong influence on 20th-century fic ...

set during the Italian campaign of World War I. The book, published in 1929, is a first-person account of American Frederic Henry, serving as a lieutenant ("Tenente") in the ambulance corps of the

Italian Army "The safeguard of the republic shall be the supreme law" , colors = , colors_labels = , march = ''Parata d'Eroi'' ("Heroes's parade") by Francesco Pellegrino, ''4 Maggio'' (May 4) ...

. The novel is about a love affair between the expatriate American Henry and Catherine Barkley against the backdrop of World War I, cynical soldiers, fighting and the displacement of populations. The publication of ''A Farewell to Arms'' cemented Hemingway's stature as a modern American writer, became his first best-seller, and is described by biographer Michael Reynolds as "the premier American war novel from that debacle World War I." The popular literary characters

Biggles James Bigglesworth, nicknamed "Biggles", is a fictional pilot and adventurer, the title character and hero of the ''Biggles'' series of adventure books, written for young readers by W. E. Johns (1893–1968). Biggles made his first appearance ...

and

Bulldog Drummond Hugh "Bulldog" Drummond is a fictional character, created by H. C. McNeile and published under his pen name "Sapper". Following McNeile's death in 1937, the novels were continued by Gerard Fairlie. Drummond is a First World War veteran who, ...

were created by veterans of the war,

W.E. Johns William Earl Johns (5 February 189321 June 1968) was an English First World War pilot, and writer of adventure stories, usually written under the pen name Capt. W. E. Johns: best known for creating the fictional air-adventurer ''Biggles''. Ear ...

and

H.C. McNeile Herman Cyril McNeile, MC (28 September 1888 – 14 August 1937), commonly known as Cyril McNeile and publishing under the name H. C. McNeile or the pseudonym Sapper, was a British soldier and author. Drawing on his experiences in the trenches ...

respectively. Both characters served in the war and shared some their creators' history. The Bulldog Drummond books were popular among veterans after the war. Writers like

Paul Fussell Paul Fussell Jr. (22 March 1924 – 23 May 2012) was an American cultural and literary historian, author and university professor. His writings cover a variety of topics, from scholarly works on eighteenth-century English literature to commentar ...

and Janet S.K. Watson have questioned ' at role ..memory play in historical reconstruction’ - arguing that retrospective accounts are often disillusioned. French writer and former infantryman on the Western Front

Gabriel Chevallier Gabriel Chevallier (3 May 1895 – 6 April 1969) was a French novelist widely known as the author of the satire ''Clochemerle''. Biography Born in Lyon in 1895, Gabriel Chevallier was educated in various schools before entering Lyon École des Be ...

wrote a novel ''Fear'' in 1930, based on his own experiences in the Great War. The novel was not published in English until 2011. Although most famous for his popular ''Hornblower'' series of Napoleonic War adventure novels,

C.S. Forester Cecil Louis Troughton Smith (27 August 1899 – 2 April 1966), known by his pen name Cecil Scott "C. S." Forester, was an English novelist known for writing tales of naval warfare, such as the 12-book Horatio Hornblower series depicting a Roya ...

also wrote three novels set in the First World War. Of the three, only one- ''The General'' (1936) was set on the Western Front, the others ''The African Queen'' (1935), which was famously

filmed Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through screenwriting, casti ...

in 1951, was set in German East Africa and ''

Brown on Resolution ''Brown on Resolution'' is a 1929 nautical novel written by C. S. Forester, set during World War I. The hero of the novel, Leading Seaman Albert Brown, is the sole able-bodied survivor of a sunken Royal Navy warship, who single-handedly delay ...

'' (1929), was a naval adventure set in the Central Pacific. According to one source, Adolf Hitler admired the novel ''The General'' in the late 1930s and recommended it to his generals due to its depiction of the British military mindset. Writer

William March William March (September 18, 1893 – May 15, 1954) was an American writer of psychological fiction and a highly decorated U.S. Marine. The author of six novels and four short-story collections, March was praised by critics but never attained g ...

, who fought with the U.S. Marines in France during World War I, wrote a novel ''

Company K ''Company K'' is a 1933 novel by William March, first serialised in parts in the New York magazine '' The Forum'' from 1930 to 1932, and published in its entirety by Smith and Haas on 19 January 1933, in New York. The book's title was taken fro ...

'' in 1933, loosely based on his own experiences. Another American writer

Dalton Trumbo James Dalton Trumbo (December 9, 1905 – September 10, 1976) was an American screenwriter who scripted many award-winning films, including ''Roman Holiday'' (1953), ''Exodus'', ''Spartacus'' (both 1960), and ''Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo'' (1944) ...

wrote a bitterly anti-war novel ''

Johnny Got His Gun ''Johnny Got His Gun'' is an anti-war novel written in 1938 by American novelist Dalton Trumbo and published in September 1939 by J. B. Lippincott. The novel won one of the early National Book Awards: the Most Original Book of 1939. A 1971 fil ...

'' in 1938 which won a

National Book Award The National Book Awards are a set of annual U.S. literary awards. At the final National Book Awards Ceremony every November, the National Book Foundation presents the National Book Awards and two lifetime achievement awards to authors. The Nat ...

the following year and was made into a

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

in 1971. New Zealander

John A Lee John Alfred Alexander Lee (31 October 1891 – 13 June 1982) was a New Zealand politician and writer. He is one of the more prominent avowed socialists in New Zealand's political history. Lee was elected as a member of parliament in 1922 ...

, who fought as an infantryman in World War I and who lost an arm, produced a novel ''Citizen into Soldier'' (1937) inspired by his own experiences.

Late 20th-century and beyond

Novels concerning World War I continued to appear in the latter half of the 20th century, albeit less frequently. The novel ''Return to the Wood'' (1955) by

James Lansdale Hodson James Lansdale Hodson (1891–1956) was a British novelist, scriptwriter and journalist. He was a war correspondent and northern editor of the '' Daily Mail''.King and Country ''King and Country'' (stylised as ''King & Country'') is a 1964 British war film directed by Joseph Losey, shot in black and white, and starring Dirk Bogarde and Tom Courtenay. The film was adapted for the screen by British screenwriter Evan ...

'' by

Joseph Losey Joseph Walton Losey III (; January 14, 1909 – June 22, 1984) was an American theatre and film director, producer, and screenwriter. Born in Wisconsin, he studied in Germany with Bertolt Brecht and then returned to the United States. Blackliste ...

in the same year. The novel ''Covenant with Death'' (1961) by John Harris portrays a Sheffield

Pals Battalion The Pals battalions of World War I were specially constituted battalions of the British Army comprising men who had enlisted together in local recruiting drives, with the promise that they would be able to serve alongside their friends, neighbour ...

on the first day of the

Battle of the Somme The Battle of the Somme ( French: Bataille de la Somme), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place bet ...

in 1916 and

Christopher Hitchens Christopher Eric Hitchens (13 April 1949 – 15 December 2011) was a British-American author and journalist who wrote or edited over 30 books (including five essay collections) on culture, politics, and literature. Born and educated in England, ...

later referred to it as a 'neglected masterpiece'. In the mid-1960s, there was a resurgence of fiction depicting the aerial campaigns of World War I, including ''The Blue Max'' (1964) by Jack D. Hunter, which became a major film in 1966 along with ''A Killing for the Hawks'' (1966) by Frederick E. Smith and ''In the Company of Eagles'' (1966) by

Ernest K. Gann Ernest Kellogg Gann (October 13, 1910 – December 19, 1991) was an American aviator, author, sailor, and conservationist. He is best known for his novels and memoirs about early aviation and nautical adventures. Some of his more famous aviation ...

. ''How Young They Died'' (1968) by

Stuart Cloete Edward Fairly Stuart Graham Cloete (23 July 1897 – 19 March 1976) was a South African novelist, essayist, biographer and short story writer. Early life Cloete was born in Paris to Margaret Edit Park, granddaughter of Glasgow banker Edward ...

was possibly the last novel written by an actual veteran.

Elleston Trevor Elleston Trevor (17 February 1920 – 21 July 1995) was a British novelist and playwright who wrote under several pseudonyms. Born Trevor Dudley-Smith, he eventually changed his name to Elleston Trevor. Trevor worked in many genres, but is princ ...

had made his name in the 1950s through episonage and WW2-themed novels but he turned to World War I with his novel ''Bury Him Among Kings'' (1970). The novel ''

Goshawk Squadron ''Goshawk Squadron'' is a 1971 black comedy novel by Derek Robinson which tells of the adventures of a squadron of SE5a pilots from January 1918 to the time of the German spring offensive of March 1918. Goshawk Squadron was Robinson's first novel. ...

'' (1971) by Derek Robinson depicts a British air-force unit in the closing months of World War I, was shortlisted for the

Booker Prize The Booker Prize, formerly known as the Booker Prize for Fiction (1969–2001) and the Man Booker Prize (2002–2019), is a Literary award, literary prize awarded each year for the best novel written in English and published in the United King ...

and was later followed by two 'prequels' set earlier in the conflict, ''War Story'' (1987) and ''Hornet's Sting'' (1999). ''Three Cheers for Me'' (1962) and its sequel ''That's Me in the Middle'' (1973) by

Donald Jack Donald Lamont Jack (6 December 1924 – 2 June 2003) was an English and Canadian novelist and playwright. Life Jack was born in Radcliffe, Bury, England and grew up in Britain, attending the well regarded Bury Grammar School and Marr College and ...

, are narrated by fictional Canadian air ace Bart Bandy; both won the Leacock Medal. Canadian novelist Timothy Findley's novel of the conflict ''

The Wars ''The Wars'' is a 1977 novel by Timothy Findley that follows Robert Ross, a nineteen-year-old Canadian who enlists in World War I after the death of his beloved older sister in an attempt to escape both his grief and the social norms of oppressiv ...

'' was published in 1977 and it received his country's top award for literature. ''

War Horse The first evidence of horses in warfare dates from Eurasia between 4000 and 3000 BC. A Sumerian illustration of warfare from 2500 BC depicts some type of equine pulling wagons. By 1600 BC, improved harness and chariot design ...

'' (1982) by

Michael Morpurgo Sir Michael Andrew Bridge Morpurgo (''né'' Bridge; 5 October 1943) is an English book author, poet, playwright, and librettist who is known best for children's novels such as ''War Horse'' (1982). His work is noted for its "magical storytellin ...

is set in World War I and won the

Whitbread Book Award The Costa Book Awards were a set of annual literary awards recognising English-language books by writers based in UK and Ireland. Originally named the Whitbread Book Awards from 1971 to 2005 after its first sponsor, the Whitbread company, then ...

for 1982. It has been adapted into a

play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * Pla ...

and

. U.S. writer Mark Helprin's ''

A Soldier of the Great War ''A Soldier of the Great War'' is a novel by American writer Mark Helprin about the Great War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents incl ...

'' and French novelist Sebastien Japrisot's ''A Very Long Engagement'' both appeared in 1991. The novel ''Birdsong'' (1993) by

Sebastian Faulks Sebastian Charles Faulks (born 20 April 1953) is a British novelist, journalist and broadcaster. He is best known for his historical novels set in France – '' The Girl at the Lion d'Or'', ''Birdsong'' and '' Charlotte Gray''. He has also pub ...

received much praise. Of similar acclaim is

Pat Barker Patricia Mary W. Barker, (née Drake; born 8 May 1943) is an English writer and novelist. She has won many awards for her fiction, which centres on themes of memory, trauma, survival and recovery. Her work is described as direct, blunt and pl ...

Regeneration Trilogy The Regeneration Trilogy is a series of three novels by Pat Barker on the subject of the First World War. In 2012, ''The Observer'' named it as one of "The 10 best historical novels". * '' Regeneration'' (1991) * ''The Eye in the Door'' (1993) ...

; the third novel from the series ''

The Ghost Road ''The Ghost Road'' is a war novel by Pat Barker, first published in 1995 and winner of the Booker Prize. It is the third volume of a trilogy that follows the fortunes of shell-shocked British army officers towards the end of the First World War ...

,'' received the most prestigious award in British fiction:

The Booker Prize The Booker Prize, formerly known as the Booker Prize for Fiction (1969–2001) and the Man Booker Prize (2002–2019), is a literary prize awarded each year for the best novel written in English and published in the United Kingdom or Ireland. ...

in 1995 (though the nomination implied the award was for the whole series). In 2014, during the centenary of the World War I, the Indian author Akhil Katyal published the poem 'Some letters of Indian soldiers at World War One' marking the contribution of more than a million Indian soldiers to the war. To the Last Man: A Novel of the First World War (2004) is a novel written by

Jeff Shaara Jeffrey M. "Jeff" Shaara (born February 21, 1952) is an American novelist and the son of Pulitzer Prize winner Michael Shaara. Biography Jeffrey Shaara was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and grew up in Tallahassee, Florida. He graduated f ...

that uses perspectives from the generals and the

doughboy Doughboy was a popular nickname for the American infantryman during World War I. Though the origins of the term are not certain, the nickname was still in use as of the early 1940s. Examples include the 1942 song "Johnny Doughboy Found a Rose in ...

s and from the Allies and the Germans. The 2011 novel ''The Absolutist'' was written by

John Boyne John Boyne (born 30 April 1971) is an Irish novelist. He is the author of eleven novels for adults and six novels for younger readers. His novels are published in over 50 languages. His 2006 novel ''The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas'' was adapte ...

, the story featuring two teenage friends who enlist in the British army together and experience the war on the Western Front. The 2016 novel ''No Man's Land'' by

Simon Tolkien Simon Mario Reuel Tolkien (born 12 January 1959) is a British novelist and former barrister. He is the grandson of J. R. R. Tolkien, and the eldest child of Christopher Tolkien. Biography Simon was born in Oxford on 12 January 1959, the only ...

(grandson of

J. R. R. Tolkien John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (, ; 3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English writer and philology, philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings''. From 1925 to 1945, Tolkien was ...

) portrays a working-class boy who has been adopted by a wealthy family and who interrupts his Oxford studies to serve in the trenches. The 2017 novel
Kings of Broken Things
' by Theodore Wheeler follows the Miihlstein family as they are displaced by fighting in Galicia during World War I and relocate to Omaha, Nebraska. The novel depicts the struggles of displaced people to build a new life during the war and dramatizes the lynching of Will Brown in Omaha during the

Red Summer Red Summer was a period in mid-1919 during which Terrorism in the United States#White nationalism and white supremacy, white supremacist terrorism and Mass racial violence in the United States, racial riots occurred in more than three dozen ...

that followed the war.

Memoirs

Captain

John Hay Beith Major General John Hay Beith, CBE MC (17 April 1876 – 22 September 1952), was a British schoolmaster and soldier, but is best remembered as a novelist, playwright, essayist, and historian who wrote under the pen name Ian Hay. After rea ...

's '' The First Hundred Thousand'', a best-selling account of life in the army, was published in 1915 and became one of the more popular books of the period. It was translated into French as ''Les Premiers Cent Mille''. Due to its popularity in the United States, which was neutral at the time, Beith was transferred to the British War Mission in Washington, D.C. The memoirs of several famous aerial 'aces' were published during the war, including ''Winged Warfare'' (1918) by Canadian William Bishop, ''Flying Fury'' (1918) by English ace

James McCudden James Thomas Byford McCudden, (28 March 1895 – 9 July 1918) was a British flying ace of the First World War and among the most highly decorated airmen in British military history. Born in 1895 to a middle class family with military traditions ...

and ''

The Red Fighter Pilot ''The Red Fighter Pilot'' (German: ''Der rote Kampfflieger'') is a book written by Manfred von Richthofen, a famous German fighter pilot who is considered the top scoring ace of the First World War, being officially credited with 80 air combat vi ...

'' (1917) by

Manfred von Richthofen Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen (; 2 May 1892 – 21 April 1918), known in English as Baron von Richthofen or the Red Baron, was a fighter pilot with the German Air Force during World War I. He is considered the ace-of-aces of ...

(the latter two men were killed in action after their books were written). After the war many participants published their memoirs and diaries. One of the first was ''

Storm of Steel ''Storm of Steel'' (german: In Stahlgewittern, lit=In Steel Thunderstorms; original English title: ''In Storms of Steel'') is the memoir of German officer Ernst Jünger's experiences on the Western Front during the First World War from December ...

'' (1920) by German writer

Ernst Jünger Ernst Jünger (; 29 March 1895 – 17 February 1998) was a German author, highly decorated soldier, philosopher, and entomologist who became publicly known for his World War I memoir '' Storm of Steel''. The son of a successful businessman and ...

, an account of his experiences as an officer on the Western Front (it was first published in English in 1930). The first memoirs of Allied combatants were published in 1922, not long after the armistice: '' A Tank Driver's Experiences'' by Arthur Jenkins and ''

Disenchantment In social science, disenchantment (german: Entzauberung) is the cultural rationalization and devaluation of religion apparent in modern society. The term was borrowed from Friedrich Schiller by Max Weber to describe the character of a moderni ...

'' by

Charles Edward Montague Charles Edward Montague (1 January 1867 – 28 May 1928) was an English journalist, known also as a writer of novels and essays. Biography Montague was born and brought up in London, the son of an Irish Roman Catholic priest who had left his ...

. These were shortly joined with ''

Undertones of War ''Undertones of War'' is a 1928 memoir of the First World War, written by English poet Edmund Blunden. As with two other famous war memoirs-— Siegfried Sassoon's ''Sherston trilogy'', and Robert Graves' ''Good-Bye to All That''--''Undertones'' ...

'' (1928) by

Edmund Blunden Edmund Charles Blunden (1 November 1896 – 20 January 1974) was an English poet, author, and critic. Like his friend Siegfried Sassoon, he wrote of his experiences in World War I in both verse and prose. For most of his career, Blunden was als ...

, ''

Good-Bye to All That ''Good-Bye to All That'' is an autobiography by Robert Graves which first appeared in 1929, when the author was 34 years old. "It was my bitter leave-taking of England," he wrote in a prologue to the revised second edition of 1957, "where I had ...

'' (1929) by

Robert Graves Captain Robert von Ranke Graves (24 July 1895 – 7 December 1985) was a British poet, historical novelist and critic. His father was Alfred Perceval Graves, a celebrated Irish poet and figure in the Gaelic revival; they were both Celtic ...

, '' A Subaltern's War'' (1929) by Charles Edmund Carrington, '' A Passionate Prodigality'' (1933) by

Guy Chapman Major Guy Patterson Chapman (September 1889 – June 1972) was an English historian and author. He served in the British army in both world wars. Early life and education Chapman was educated at Westminster School, Christ Church, Oxford and the ...

and ''

Blasting and Bombardiering ''Blasting and Bombardiering'' is the autobiography of the English painter, novelist, and satirist Percy Wyndham Lewis. It was published in 1937. It was in this work that Lewis first identified thcritically oft-mentioned"Men of 1914" group of ...

'' (1937) by

Percy Wyndham Lewis Percy Wyndham Lewis (18 November 1882 – 7 March 1957) was a British writer, painter and critic. He was a co-founder of the Vorticist movement in art and edited ''BLAST (magazine), BLAST,'' the literary magazine of the Vorticists. His novels ...

. Memoirs of airmen included ''Wind in the Wires'' (1933) by

Duncan Grinnell-Milne Captain Duncan William Grinnell-Milne (6 August 1896 – November 1973) was an English First World War pilot credited with six confirmed aerial victories, a prisoner of war who escaped from German captivity, a flying ace, and an author. Initia ...

, ''Wings of War'' (1933) by

Rudolf Stark Lieutenant Rudolf Stark (11 February 1897 – after 1933) was a World War I flying ace credited with eleven confirmed and five unconfirmed aerial victories. World War I military service Stark originally served heroically in the 2nd Royal Bavaria ...

and ''Sagittarius Rising'' (1936) by

Cecil Arthur Lewis Cecil Arthur Lewis (29 March 1898 – 27 January 1997) was a British fighter ace who flew with No. 56 Squadron RAF in the First World War, and was credited with destroying eight enemy aircraft. He went on to be a founding executive of the Brit ...

. Nurses also published memoirs of their wartime experiences, such as '' A Diary without Dates'' (1918) by

Enid Bagnold Enid Algerine Bagnold, Lady Jones, (27 October 1889 – 31 March 1981) was a British writer and playwright known for the 1935 story ''National Velvet''. Early life Enid Algerine Bagnold was born on 27 October 1889 in Rochester, Kent, daught ...

, ''

Forbidden Zone ''Forbidden Zone'' is an American absurdist musical fantasy comedy film produced and directed by Richard Elfman, and co-written by Elfman and Matthew Bright. Shot in 1977 and 1978, the film premiered in 1980 and was distributed in 1982. Origina ...

'' (1929) by

Mary Borden Mary Borden (May 15, 1886 – December 2, 1968) (married names: Mary Turner; Mary Spears, Lady Spears; pseud. Bridget Maclagan) was an American-British novelist and poet whose work drew on her experiences as a war nurse. She was the second of ...

, ''

Testament of Youth ''Testament of Youth'' is the first instalment, covering 1900–1925, in the memoir of Vera Brittain (1893–1970). It was published in 1933. Brittain's memoir continues with ''Testament of Experience'', published in 1957, and encompassing th ...

'' (1933) by

Vera Brittain Vera Mary Brittain (29 December 1893 – 29 March 1970) was an English Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) nurse, writer, feminist, socialist and pacifist. Her best-selling 1933 memoir ''Testament of Youth'' recounted her experiences during the First ...

and '' We That Were Young'' (1932) by Irene Rathbone. Some Great War memoirs were not published until late in the 20th century or beyond, sometimes because the author did not write them until later in life or because they had been unable to, or had chosen not to, have them published at the time of writing (as a result, some manuscripts were published posthumously). One example was ''Poilu'' by French writer, barrel-maker and political activist

Louis Barthas Louis Barthas (; 14 July 1879 – 4 May 1952) was a French infantry corporal who served on the Western Front of World War I for nearly the entire duration of conflict, stationed on the front lines for a significant amount of time. He was ...

, a memoir written shortly after the war but not published until 1978 (the author died in 1952).The book described the author's experiences as a corporal in the French army on the Western Front. British WW1 veteran

George Coppard Corporal George Alfred Coppard MM (26 January 1898 – 17 February 1985) was a British soldier who served with the Machine Gun Corps during World War I. Following his retirement he published his memoirs entitled ''With A Machine Gun to Cambrai' ...

published his memoir ''With a Machine-Gun to Cambrai'' in 1968 while former airman Arthur Gould Lee produced his own memoir ''No Parachute'' the same year. The memoir ''Somme Mud'' was written in the 1920s but not published until 2006, over two decades after the author's death. The author, Australian Edward Francis Lynch, fought with the AIF in France in 1916–1918. ''The Burning of the World'', first published in 2014, was a memoir of the Great War on the Eastern Front by Hungarian writer & painter Bela Zombory-Moldovan who enlisted in the Austro-Hungarian Army in 1914 at age 29.

Theatre

Plays about World War I include: * ''

Journey's End ''Journey's End'' is a 1928 dramatic play by English playwright R. C. Sherriff, set in the trenches near Saint-Quentin, Aisne, towards the end of the First World War. The story plays out in the officers' dugout of a British Army infantry comp ...

'' (1928), by

R. C. Sherriff Robert Cedric Sherriff, FSA, FRSL (6 June 1896 – 13 November 1975) was an English writer best known for his play '' Journey's End'', which was based on his experiences as an army officer in the First World War. He wrote several plays, many nov ...

* ''The Silver Tassie'' (1928), by

Sean O'Casey Sean, also spelled Seán or Séan in Irish English, is a male given name of Irish origin. It comes from the Irish versions of the Biblical Hebrew name ''Yohanan'' (), Seán (anglicized as ''Shaun/ Shawn/ Shon'') and Séan (Ulster variant; anglici ...

* ''Post-Mortem'' (1930), by

Noël Coward Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time'' magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and ...

* ''

For Services Rendered ''For Services Rendered'' is a play by Somerset Maugham. First performed in London in 1932, the play is about the effects of World War I on an English family. Characters *Leonard Ardsley *Charlotte Ardsley, Leonard’s wife *Sydney Ardsley, b ...

'' (1932), by

Somerset Maugham William Somerset Maugham ( ; 25 January 1874 – 16 December 1965) was an English writer, known for his plays, novels and short stories. Born in Paris, where he spent his first ten years, Maugham was schooled in England and went to a German un ...

* ''

The One Day of the Year ''The One Day of the Year'' is a 1958 Australian play by Alan Seymour about contested attitudes to Anzac Day. Plot Alf’s son Hughie and his girlfriend Jan plan to document Anzac Day for the university newspaper, focusing on the drinking on Anz ...

'' (1958), by

Alan Seymour Alan Seymour (6 June 192723 March 2015) was an Australian playwright and author. He is best known for the play ''The One Day of the Year'' (1958). His international reputation rests not only on this early play, but also on his many screenplays, ...

* ''

Oh, What a Lovely War! ''Oh, What a Lovely War!'' is an epic musical developed by Joan Littlewood and her ensemble at the Theatre Workshop in 1963. It is a satire on World War I, and by extension on war in general. The title is derived from the "somewhat satirical" ...

'' (1963), by

Joan Littlewood Joan Maud Littlewood (6 October 1914 – 20 September 2002) was an English theatre director who trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and is best known for her work in developing the Theatre Workshop. She has been called "The Mother of M ...

* ''

The Accrington Pals The Accrington Pals, officially the 11th (Service) Battalion (Accrington), East Lancashire Regiment, was a pals battalion of Kitchener's Army raised in and around the town of Accrington during the First World War. History Recruiting was initi ...

'' (1982), by

Peter Whelan Peter Whelan (3 October 1931 – 3 July 2014) was a British playwright. Whelan was born and raised in Stoke-on-Trent, England. As a student from 1951–55 Whelan was an inspirational figure in the newly-formed Drama Society at the experimental ...

* ''

Not About Heroes ''Not About Heroes'' is a drama by Stephen MacDonald about the real-life relationship between the poets Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon first performed in 1982 at the Edinburgh Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland. The play has only two character ...

'' (1982), by

Stephen MacDonald Stephen MacDonald (5 May 1933 – 12 August 2009) was a British actor, director and dramatist. MacDonald was brought up and educated in Birmingham, where he trained as an actor, but subsequently worked extensively in Scotland as a theatre d ...

* ''Once on Chunuk Bair'' (1982), by

Maurice Shadbolt Maurice Francis Richard Shadbolt (4 June 1932 – 10 October 2004) was a New Zealand writerRobinson and Wattie 1998 and occasional playwright. Biography Shadbolt was born in Auckland, and was the eldest of three children. He had a younger bro ...

* ''

Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme ''Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme'' is a 1985 play by Frank McGuinness. Plot synopsis The play centres on the experiences of eight unionist Ulstermen who volunteer to serve in the 36th (Ulster) Division at the beginning of ...

'' (1985), by

Frank McGuinness Professor Frank McGuinness (born 1953) is an Irish writer. As well as his own plays, which include '' The Factory Girls'', ''Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme'', ''Someone Who'll Watch Over Me'' and ''Dolly West's Kitchen'', ...

* '' ''My Boy Jack'' (1997), by

David Haig David Haig Collum Ward (born 20 September 1955) is an English actor and playwright. He has appeared in West End productions and numerous television and film roles over a career spanning four decades. Haig wrote the play '' My Boy Jack'', w ...

* ''An August Bank Holiday Lark'' (2014), by

Deborah McAndrew Deborah McAndrew (born 1967) is a British playwright and actor, known for playing Angie Freeman in ''Coronation Street'' in the 1990s. She is also co-founder and Creative Director of the Stoke-on-Trent-based Claybody Theatre Company, and a visiti ...

* ''Anzac Eve'' (2017), by Dave Armstrong

French literature on WWI

Novels inspired by the author's experiences

* ''Le Feu : journal d'une escouade'' /

* ''La Percée : roman d'un fantassin (1914-1915)'' / Jean Bernier * ''L'Appel du sol'' /

Adrien Bertrand Adrien Bertrand (4 August 1888, Nyons – 18 November 1917) was a French novelist whose short career was punctuated by a series of striking surrealist anti-war novels, written as Bertrand lay dying from complications involved in a wound he suffer ...

* ''Voyage au bout de la nuit'' /

Louis Ferdinand Céline Louis may refer to: * Louis (coin) * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer * HMS Louis, HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also

Derived or associated te ...

* ''La Peur'' /

* ''Les Poilus'' /

Joseph Delteil Joseph Delteil (20 April 1894 – 16 April 1978) was a 20th-century French writer and poet. Biography Joseph Delteil was born in the farm of La Pradeille, from a woodcutter-charcoal father and a "buissonnière" mother. Joseph Delteil spent ...

* ''Les Croix de Bois'' /

Roland Dorgelès Roland Dorgelès (; 15 June 1885 – 18 March 1973) was a French novelist and a member of the Académie Goncourt. Born in Amiens, Somme, under the name Roland Lecavelé (he adopted the pen name Dorgelès to commemorate visits to the spa town of ...

* ''Ceux de 14'' /

Maurice Genevoix Maurice Genevoix (; 29 November 1890 – 8 September 1980) was a French author. Life Born on 29 November 1890 at Decize, Nièvre as Maurice-Charles-Louis-Genevoix, Genevoix spent his childhood in Châteauneuf-sur-Loire. After attending the loca ...

* ''Solitude de la Pitié'' /

Jean Giono Jean Giono (30 March 1895 – 8 October 1970) was a French writer who wrote works of fiction mostly set in the Provence region of France. First period Jean Giono was born to a family of modest means, his father a cobbler of Piedmontese descent a ...

* ''Le Grand troupeau'' /

* ''Les Silences du colonel Bramble ; suivi des Discours et nouveaux discours du Docteur O'Grady'' /

André Maurois André Maurois (; born Émile Salomon Wilhelm Herzog; 26 July 1885 – 9 October 1967) was a French author. Biography Maurois was born on 26 July 1885 in Elbeuf and educated at the Lycée Pierre Corneille in Rouen, both in Normandy. A member of ...

* ''Capitaine Conan'' /

Roger Vercel Roger Vercel (born Roger Cretin; 8 January 1894, in Le Mans – 26 February 1957, in Dinan) was a French writer. Biography Vercel was fascinated by the sea and marine life. Although he virtually never went to sea, most of his novels featured a m ...

* ''Clavel soldat'' /

Léon Werth Léon Werth (17 February 1878, Remiremont, Vosges – 13 December 1955, Paris) was a French writer and art critic, a friend of Octave Mirbeau and a close friend and confidant of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Léon Werth wrote critically and wi ...

Other French novels

* ''La Sentinelle tranquille sous la lune'' /

Soazig Aaron Soazig Aaron (born 1949, Rennes) is a French author. Biography After studying history, Soazig Aaron worked for a few years in a bookshop in Paris. Today, she lives in Rennes in Brittany. Her first novel, ''Le Non de Klara'', appeared in 2002. ...

* ''Les Beaux quartiers'' /

Louis Aragon Louis Aragon (, , 3 October 1897 – 24 December 1982) was a French poet who was one of the leading voices of the surrealist movement in France. He co-founded with André Breton and Philippe Soupault the surrealist review ''Littérature''. He wa ...

* ''La Maison rose'' / Pierre Bergounioux * ''Comme le temps passe'' /

Robert Brasillach Robert Brasillach (; 31 March 1909 – 6 February 1945) was a French author and journalist. Brasillach was the editor of ''Je suis partout'', a nationalist newspaper which advocated fascist movements and supported Jacques Doriot. After the liberat ...

* ''Les Ames grises'' /

Philippe Claudel Philippe Claudel (born 2 February 1962) is a French writer and film director. Claudel was born in Dombasle-sur-Meurthe, Meurthe-et-Moselle. In addition to his writing, Claudel is a Professor of Literature at the University of Nancy. He directe ...

* ''Meuse l'oubli'' / Philippe Claudel * ''Les Roses de Verdun'' /

Bernard Clavel Bernard Charles Henri Clavel (29 May 1923 – 5 October 2010) was a French writer. Clavel was born in Lons-le-Saunier. From a humble background, he was largely self-educated. He began working as a pastry cook apprentice when he was 14 years ol ...

* ''Thomas l'imposteur'' /

Jean Cocteau Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau (, , ; 5 July 1889 – 11 October 1963) was a French poet, playwright, novelist, designer, filmmaker, visual artist and critic. He was one of the foremost creatives of the su ...

* ''Le Der des ders'' /

Didier Daeninckx Didier Daeninckx (born 27 April 1949 in Saint-Denis, Seine-Saint-Denis) is a French author and left-wing politician of Belgian descent, best known for his '' romans noirs''. Works translated into English *' (''Meurtres pour mémoire'') by Melvill ...

* ''La Comédie de Charleroi'' /

Pierre Drieu la Rochelle Pierre Eugène Drieu La Rochelle (; 3 January 1893 – 15 March 1945) was a French writer of novels, short stories and political essays. He was born, lived and died in Paris. Drieu La Rochelle became a proponent of French fascism in the 1930s, ...

* ''La Chambre des officiers'' /

Marc Dugain Marc Dugain (born 1957) is a French novelist and film director, best known for ''La Chambre des Officiers'' (English, '' The Officers' Ward'') (1999), a novel set in World War I. Dugain was born in Senegal Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pu ...

* ''Le Monument : roman vrai'' / Claude Duneton * ''14'' /

Jean Echenoz Jean Echenoz (born 26 December 1947) is a French writer. Biography Jean Echenoz was born in Orange, Vaucluse, the son of a psychiatrist, He studied in Rodez, Digne-les-Bains, Lyon, Aix-en-Provence, Marseille and Paris, where he has lived sinc ...

* ''Dans la guerre'' /

Alice Ferney Alice may refer to: * Alice (name), most often a feminine given name, but also used as a surname Literature * Alice (''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland''), a character in books by Lewis Carroll * ''Alice'' series, children's and teen books by ...

* ''Partita'' /

Roger Grenier Roger Grenier (19 September 1919 – 8 November 2017) was a French writer, journalist and radio animator. He was Regent of the Collège de ’Pataphysique. Biography As a youth, Grenier lived in Pau, where Andrélie opened a shop selling gla ...

* ''Le Palais d'hiver'' / Roger Grenier * ''Le Sang noir'' /

Louis Guilloux Louis Guilloux (15 January 1899 – 14 October 1980) was a French writer born in Saint-Brieuc, Brittany, where he lived throughout his life. He is known for his Social Realist novels describing working class life and political struggles in the mi ...

* ''Derrière la colline'' /

Xavier Hanotte Xavier Hanotte is a Belgian writer. He was born in Mont-sur-Marchienne in 1960. He lives near Brussels. He studied the German language and entered a literary career through translation. He translated Dutch authors such as Hubert Lampo, and was par ...

* ''De secrètes injustices'' / Xavier Hanotte * ''Les Lieux communs'' / Xavier Hanotte * ''Un Long dimanche de fiançailles'' /

Sébastien Japrisot Sébastien Japrisot (4 July 1931 – 4 March 2003) was a French author, screenwriter and film director. His pseudonym was an anagram of Jean-Baptiste Rossi, his real name. Renowned for subverting the rules of the crime genre, Japrisot broke dow ...

* ''Waltenberg'' /

Hédi Kaddour Hédi Kaddour (born July 1st, 1945 in Tunis) is a French poet and novelist. Biography Hédi Kaddour was born of a Tunisian father and a French mother. Received 1st at the aggregation of modern letters, he is a translator of English, German an ...

* ''L'Equipage'' /

Joseph Kessel Joseph Kessel (10 February 1898 – 23 July 1979), also known as "Jef", was a French journalist and novelist. He was a member of the Académie française and Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour. Biography Kessel was born to a Argentine Jews, Je ...

* ''Le Chercheur d'or'' / Jean-Marie-Gustave Le Clézio * ''Au revoir là-haut'' / Pierre Lemaître * ''Les Thibault (n°1-2-3)'' / Roger Martin du Gard * ''Le Bruit du vent'' /

Hubert Mingarelli Hubert Mingarelli (14 January 1956 – 26 January 2020) was a French writer. He was born in Mont-Saint-Martin, Meurthe-et-Moselle, Mont-Saint-Martin in Lorraine (region), Lorraine. After serving in the navy for three years, he settled in the so ...

* ''Quatre soldats'' / Hubert Mingarelli * ''Les Enfants de la patrie (n° 1-2-3-4)'' / Pierre Miquel * ''La Poudrière d'Orient (n° 1-2-3-4)'' / Pierre Miquel * ''La Liberté guidait leurs pas (n° 1-2-3-4)'' / Pierre Miquel * ''Le Diable au corps'' /

Raymond Radiguet Raymond Radiguet (18 June 1903 – 12 December 1923) was a French novelist and poet whose two novels were noted for their explicit themes, and unique style and tone. Early life Radiguet was born in Saint-Maur, Val-de-Marne, close to Paris, th ...

* ''Les Hommes de bonne volonté (n° 1-2-3-4)'' /

Jules Romains Jules Romains (born Louis Henri Jean Farigoule; 26 August 1885 – 14 August 1972) was a French poet and writer and the founder of the Unanimism literary movement. His works include the play '' Knock ou le Triomphe de la médecine'', and a cycle ...

* ''Les Champs d'honneur'' /

Jean Rouaud Jean Rouaud (born 13 December 1952) is a French author, who was born in Campbon, Loire-Atlantique. In 1990 his novel ''Fields of Glory'' (French: ''Les Champs d'honneur'') won the Prix Goncourt The Prix Goncourt (french: Le prix Goncourt, , ...

* ''Le Collier rouge'' /

Jean-Christophe Rufin Jean-Christophe Rufin (born 28 June 1952) is a French doctor, diplomat, historian, globetrotter and novelist. He is the president of Action Against Hunger, one of the earliest members of Médecins Sans Frontières, and a member of the Académi ...

* ''L'Acacia'' /

Claude Simon Claude Simon (; 10 October 1913 – 6 July 2005) was a French novelist, and was awarded the 1985 Nobel Prize in Literature. Biography Claude Simon was born in Tananarive on the isle of Madagascar. His parents were French, his father being a ...

* ''Quatre soldats français (n° 1-2-3-4)'' /

Jean Vautrin Jean Vautrin (17 May 1933 – 16 June 2015), real name Jean Herman, was a French writer, filmmaker and film critic. Life and career After studying literature at Auxerre, he took first place in the Id'HEC competition. He studied French lite ...

* ''Alexis ou le traité du vain combat ; suivi de Le Coup de Grâce'' /

Marguerite Yourcenar Marguerite Yourcenar (, , ; born Marguerite Antoinette Jeanne Marie Ghislaine Cleenewerck de Crayencour; 8 June 1903 – 17 December 1987) was a Belgian-born French novelist and essayist, who became a US citizen in 1947. Winner of the ''Prix Fem ...

German literature on WWI

* ''

'' /

* ''War'' /

Ludwig Renn Ludwig Renn (born Arnold Friedrich Vieth von Golßenau; 22 April 1889 – 21 July 1979) was a German author. Born a Saxon nobleman, he later became a committed communist and lived in East Berlin.''Oxford Companion to German Literature'', ed. Henr ...

References

External links

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House ...

: Sarup Book Publishers, 2010, * ''The Pities of War: A Brief Overview of the First World War British Poets and Poetry'' by Pinaki Roy, in ''The Atlantic Critical Review Quarterly (International)'', Vol. 9, No. 1, January–March 2010, pp. 40–56 (, ) * Critical study of

's oeuvre and his life: ''Wilfred Owen: The Man, the Soldier, the Poet'' (

Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...

: Books Way, 2013) by Pinaki Roy () * "''Schriften des zum Scheitern Verurteilt'': First World War German Poetry" by Pinaki Roy, in ''Journal of Higher Education and Research Society'' (ISSN 2349-0209), 3.1 (April 2015): 249–59. * "The English Trench-writers of 1014-18: ''A very brief Review''" by Pinaki Roy, in ''Labyrinth'' (ISSN 0976-0814), 8.2 (July 2017): 83–95. * "The

History History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...

of War-plays: A Brief International Exploration" by Pinaki Roy, in ''Theatre International'' (ISSN 2278-2036 TI), XII (January 2020): 90–99.
An A-level study site

A sixth from perspective-including literature and the technology of war

See the original editions of some of the books listed here and many other works of Great War Literature

The Dutch Publishing House Dulce et Decorum concentrates on publishing translations of World War I literature.

The First World War Poetry Digital Archive (an online repository of over 4000 items of text, images, audio, and video for teaching, learning, and research.)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Media Of World War I

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 ...

de:Liste literarischer Werke zum Ersten Weltkrieg

General

Poetry

Novels

Contemporary

Post-war

Late 20th-century and beyond

Memoirs

Theatre

French literature on WWI

Novels inspired by the author's experiences

Other French novels

German literature on WWI

See also

References

Further reading

External links