Fear: A Novel of World War I (New York Review Books Classics) Paperback – May 20, 2014

Admittedly, I had quite high expectations when approaching this "novel". Suffice to say, its content, Chevallier's writing style, and the general totality of this work simply blew my mind, exceeding even my highest expectations. I firmly believe that Gabriel Chevallier's Fear: A Novel Of World War I, much like Dalton Trumbo's Johhny Got His Gun, is a work of the highest literary quality which was undoubtedly persecuted (Fear was suppressed by French authorities during the Second World War, just as Trumbo's novel was suppressed by U.S. authorites during the Korean War) for its candor regarding the futility of war, its graphically honest description of its horrors, as well as its extreme criticism of leaders who send other men (of the proletariat class) to their deaths with reckless disregard, ineptitude, and lack of compassion.It is impossible to deny that Chevallier's masterpiece does have a socialist political tone. However, like Johnny Got His Gun, the novel is by no means a polemic simply utilizing Chevallier's experiences during WWI as a means for the political propagation. Instead, Chevallier's work is simply unflinching honest, requiring Chevallier's personal political views to become apparent. The vitriol and disgust which Chevallier often aims at both the bourgeoisie and the upper class of French society comes in many instances not from the mouth of Chevallier but from countless soldiers in the novel (which are obviously based on authentic statements Chevallier heard during his WWI experience).This blending of literary creation with memoir-like testament is in part what makes Fear so compelling, unforgettable, and unique. Personally, I finished the book feeling as if I had just read the most incredibly crafted memoir, however, Chevallier's literary skills force the reader to separate the work from memoir masterpieces such as E.B. Sledge's With The Old Breed (maybe the greatest American memoir of the Pacific Theater during WWII). Despite its intense descriptions of events which only one who had truly experienced them could convey and the chronological structure of the book, Chevallier's brilliant prose during the book's many philosophical passages and the intense character construction which occurs particularly during the portion of the novel when the narrator (Chevallier) was in hospital recovering from shrapnel wounds, separates Chevallier's work from that of a straight memoir. This section of the novel and its heartbreaking description of the degradation and mental deterioration of a hospital orderly whom the narrator had known from his college days before the war contains an element of literary characterization that is undeniable and crushingly sad.In the end I believe it is this blending of literary genius with memoir-like structure (and probable content), crossed with both philosophical (particularly that of existentialism) introspection, intense descriptions of the effects of warfare on the mind, and not overbearing political polemics that makes Fear a novel of such depth. This is a book which at times is almost traumatic to read it is so keen in placing the reader in the mind of a man at war. For example the body/mind struggle of the narrator when he has a bout of extreme diarrhea while under extreme artillery bombardment left me honestly weary after reading it. I would not dispute someone's claim that Fear is the greatest anti-war novel ever written. Likewise, I can understand criticism that Fear is arguably a bit culturally limited due to its specific connection between the author and his experience with the French army. However, by no means would I remain silent to this weak critique, as while the book is very much told from the point of view of a French soldier in the French army, Chevallier's politics are easily recognizable as hostile towards nationalism and sympathetic towards international socialism. The book's narrator never wastes a chance to point out the absurdity of the "us versus them" nature of the war and there is a deeply powerful underlying humanism to the novel. There also is deep pessimism and meditation on the philosophical question of whether man is truly fundamentally good. This element ties in with much of the book's existentialist feel.I cannot recommend this book strong enough. Whether you are simply interested in WWI or are a fan of anti-war, post-WWI existentialist literature, Gabriel Chevallier's Fear is nothing short of a lost masterpiece. Despite my love of Remarque's All Quiet On The Western Front for example, I would recommend Fear more fervently. Like Trumbo's Johnny Got His Gun, there is a certain purity and rage to Fear, an organic factor, which coupled with the fact that unlike Trumbo's novel, Fear was written by a man who had personally experienced the horrors and injustices of which he writes, makes it all the more potent. Chevallier's extraordinary prose which captures almost in a documentary like fashion the smells, sounds, sights, and most importantly, the mental experience of total war while contemplating its meaning and role in the human experience, is unflinching and most valuably, always honest...For a novel of relatively short length, Fear is massive in its ability to bring the waste that is war to the laps of each reader and leave them pondering why.NOTE: The New York Review Books Classics edition of Fear deserves special notice for its award-winning translation by Malcolm Imrie. This is a novel in which I truly had no felling that anything had been lost in translation. Imrie is more than well deserving of the Scott Moncrieff Prize for translation. The book also contains wonderfully helpful footnotes (in the form of numbered endnotes) which add even further depth to an already astounding work. While John Berger's introduction is quite good, I did feed a book with as controversial of a publishing history as Fear deserved a bit more. I would love to see any future edition feature a MUCH expanded introduction (NYRB is well-known for their generous introductions, particularly of books with large historical, political content, for example NYRB's Victor Serge novels/memoir). This minor complaint regarding the brevity of the introduction however takes nothing away from this beautiful edition.

This highly autobiographical novel, first published in 1930, is one of the most striking indictments of war that one can imagine. Written by a French author, who had served four years during World War I, it graphically shatters any romantic conceptions of war. In that regard, it is very similar to Erich Maria Remarque's "All Quiet on the Western Front" (1929), which makes several of the same poignant points from the German perspective. As the second war approached, both books ran into political trouble, and this novel was allowed to go out of print in the late 1930's in an effort to calm public reaction down. The filmed version of "All Quiet" nearly precipitated a riot in Berlin in 1930, engineered to snuff out its anti-war message.The central character, Jean Dartemont, like the rest of Europe, is enjoying a delightful spring in August 1914 when suddenly, war is declared on all sides. The author skillfully focuses upon how early enthusiasm and thirst for glory electrify the civilian population who enthusiastically embrace the troops marching off to what is assured to be a quick and total victory over the Germans. Soon Jean is undergoing training for what he assumes will be an exciting adventure, rather like sightseeing on the battlefield. This is the same sort of illusion that occurred at the first battle of Bull Run when civilians rode out from Washington in carriages to picnic and watch what they assumed would be a Union victory--only to have to flee in panic when things did not work out as expected.The reader follows Jean into the war zone. Instead of exciting glory, Jean encounters the boredom, misery and suffering of war. He experiences the horror of trench warfare. The author's choice of terms conveys his view of war: squalor, lice, drudgery, excrement, blood, organs, limbs, and destruction to name just a few. One of the author's major themes is not only the lack of competence of those directing the French troops, but their lack of interest in and connection with the troops doing the dirty work. The incompetence of the French military leadership is a prominent theme in some of the recent centennial studies of the war; see particularly Max Hastings, "Catastrophe 1914: Europe Goes to War."The author is a master at describing the emotions of the troops in battle--probably since he was among them during the war. The psychological paralysis of fear; facing absolute terror every time one is ordered to go "over the top" from the safety of the trench to launch an attack; the absolute certainty that your number will come up eventually and a dreadful death awaits--the reader begins to experience all these emotions. Even when "safely" underground in a bunker, the constant pounding by artillery strokes high levels of fear which simply wear the troops out day after day. It is no wonder that the soldiers are forever trying to figure our how to get wounded just enough to escape to the hospital for a spell of safety; Jean takes this route and his period in the hospital is one of the most interesting sections of the book, as the nurses not only don't believe how horrible the fighting is, but get angry if the deteriorating condition of the French army is discussed. In this regard, the nurses are like the folks at home who continue to have unrealistic expectations of victory and glory. Soldiers on leave stoke this feeling by engaging in big talk about how well things are going.With all this continual stress and terror, it is no wonder soldiers frequently ask themselves "why am I here?" Some soldiers commit suicide in effect; others mutiny. Particularly when the end of the war is in sight, all these pressures multiply since nobody wants to die especially just before it is all over.The whole book has a tremendous impact on the reader. But the final chapter ("Ceasefire") is especially moving. There the author writing in 1930 seeks to warn future generations about the truth of war so they can avoid the same fate as he experienced. Yet, within a decade the armies of Europe (and ultimately America) were at it once again with even more horrid consequences. The New York Review Books edition is nicely printed and quite durable for a paperback; it has a few end notes to explain terms and references; and has a nice intro by John Berger. The translation is uniformly excellent. I learned that the place and time of war may differ, but the process remains the same. We should all read this warning about the truth of war--any war.

Excellent novel, takes you into the trenches without any romanticized notions of war. Highly recommended.

This book so graphically illustrates what it was like to be in the trenches, that at times I was so moved, I had to stop reading.Even though it deals with such awful brutality, the writing leaves you breathless as it so beautifully crafted.A must for anyone interested in the reality of what it was like to be a Soldier in the First World War - or for those who admire stunning prose.

that it was banned in france ahead of the second world war tell you a lot about the power of this book to dissuade anyone with a soul from ever participating in such horror

Whoever can, should read it ...

A compelling, evocative novel that I kept mistaking for a factual account. This book certainly has the ring of truth about it, and perhaps gives a better idea of the life of a WW1 soldier than the undeniably excellent All Quiet on the Western Front. Details about kit, dodging trenches, staying in hospital as long as possible and just avoiding being killed abound and make the book wonderfully rich. There are pages of rage, horror, humour and pathos: everything you could want from a novel about war. The passage comparing the colonel's staff shelter to the palace of Versailles is superb.How anyone went through this conflict as long as Chevallier did and a) survived and b) stayed sane is a miracle.French books (in English) about the war are few in number, but worth the search when you find them; this is no exception and I recommend it heartily.