French soldiers write about their first experiences in World War I

The Great War: A Chronicle, 1914–1918 is the leading series in the Netherlands and Flanders dedicated to the historiography of and reflection on World War I. The volumes in this series are published on a regular basis, generally every six months. This is made possible by the collaboration between Aspekt Publishers and the First World War Study Center Foundation. Dutch and Flemish authors, in ever-changing combinations, ensure that time and again the best background stories and analyses of World War I are made accessible to a wider audience. The volumes can be read independently of one another and explore many facets of the war, such as military affairs, politics, diplomacy, culture, and international relations. This series has now become a respected monument to this major conflict. This volume again features a number of interesting essays, including four on influential figures: a war correspondent, a theologian, two distinguished Dutch military officers, and a successful author. In addition, there are essays on all the French soldier-writers who received France’s highest literary award, the “Prix Goncourt,” during the Great War; refugees in Bergen op Zoom; and the pivotal year of the war, 1916.