
HENRI BARBUSSE
CHAPITRE PREMIER
CHAPITRE II
CHAPITRE III
CHAPITRE IV
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CHAPITRE IX
A soft, intimate voice greets listeners as a child wakes in a modest home and begins to see the world through the narrow square window of his bedroom. The narrator, a young carpenter’s son, describes his mother kneeling by the hearth, the weight of his father's tools, and the rhythm of daily chores that shape his early days. Yet even amid these simple tasks, his mind drifts to the vast plains, towering stones and distant mountains that seem to whisper of something greater.
The story blends tender domestic moments with quiet wonder, letting the listener feel the texture of village life—the chatter of children, the blue veils of women, the splash of the village fountain—while the child asks timeless questions about identity and purpose. As he steps outside at his father's urging, the narrative hints at a path that will lead far beyond the familiar streets, promising a contemplation of truth that resonates long after the first sunrise.
Language
fr
Duration
~3 hours (197K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Original publisher
France: Ernest Flammarion, 1927.
Credits
René Galluvot (This file was produced from images generously made available by the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF/Gallica))
Release date
2023-05-14
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
Subjects

1873–1935
Best known for the searing World War I novel Under Fire, this French writer turned his own time in the trenches into one of the earliest and most influential antiwar books of the 20th century. His work blends vivid realism with strong moral and political conviction.
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