Louis Pergaud (January 22, 1882 - April 8, 1915) was a French writer and soldier, whose principal works were known as "Animal Stories" due to their rooting in the flora and fauna of the Franche-Comté. His most famous work was the humourous yet powerful novel La Guerre des boutons (War of the Buttons), written in 1912. In April 1915, whilst serving with the French Army near Marchéville, Pergaud was killed in action, aged 33. January 22 is the 22nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1882 (MDCCCLXXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar. ... April 8 is the 98th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (99th in leap years). ... 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Capital Besançon Land area¹ 16,202 km² Regional President Raymond Forni (PS) (since 2004) Population  - Jan. ... War of the Buttons is a 1994 film directed by John Roberts, about two rival kid gangs in Ireland, The Ballys (poor), and The Carricks (rich). ... French soldiers of the IFOR in Mostar, 1995. ...

Born in Belmont, Doubs, the son of a parish schoolmaster, Pergaud followed his father into the profession, teaching at Landresse following his training at Besançon. In 1905 he resigned following protests from local people over his refusal to attend Mass or follow Catholic doctrine in his teachings, and moved to Paris, where he worked as a clerk and then a schoolteacher, all the time devoting his greatest passion towards writing, a pastime which consumed him. He was in many ways affiliated with the Modernist movement, once declaring "A pox on Latin purity: I am a celt". Location within France Besançon is a French city in the département of Doubs, of which it is the préfecture. ... A Medieval Low Mass by a bishop. ... The Eiffel Tower, the international symbol of the city, as viewed from the Trocadéro This article is about the capital and largest city in France. ... This article focuses on the cultural movement labeled modernism or the modern movement. See also: Modernism (Roman Catholicism) or Modernist Christianity; Modernismo for specific art movement(s) in Spain and Catalonia. ...

Works

His first published work appeared in the Mercure de France in 1910, and this was followed by a book of poetry and short stories named De Goupil à Margot the same year, which won the Prix Goncourt. His work focused on the similarities between the amoral instincts of animals with the immoral activities of humans, a stance guided by his fervent anti-militarism, an attitude he developed during his National service in 1902. In 1911 his first collection of short stories about animals, La Revanche du corbeau appeared, followed by the novel Le Roman de Miraut along the same theme. He wrote numerous other stories about the animal kingdom which would be published posthumously. In 1912 La Guerre des boutons was published, a tale of a play-war between the small boys of two neighbouring villages. Those "killed" would have their buttons removed as trophies before being sent home. The novel begins humorously and harmlessly enough, but becomes more sinister as the lines between play-war and reality become blurred for the children. It has been described as having a "touch of Lord of the Flies" in tone, although the book obviously substantially pre-dates that novel. Perguad's works are still enormously popular in France, with the La Guerre des boutons having been reprinted over thirty times. There is a Paris society escpecially devoted to him and his works, named Les Amis de Louis Pergaud. This page meets Wikipedias criteria for speedy deletion. ... The Prix Goncourt is the most prestigious prize in French language literature, given to the author of the best imaginary prose work of the year. Edmond de Goncourt, a successful author, critic, and publisher, bequeathed his entire estate for the foundation and maintenance of the Académie Goncourt. ... Antimilitarism is a doctrine commonly found in the anarchist and socialist movement, which may be both characterized as internationalist movements. ... // National Service National Service in the 20th Century referred primarily to conscription for military service. ... New Lord of the Flies book cover Lord of the Flies is an allegorical novel by Nobel Prize-winning author William Golding about a group of young boys who are stranded on a desert island, and must negotiate the social problems of cooperation and self-government. ...

Death

In the ultimate irony for a pacifist, Louis Pergaud was conscripted into the French Army at the outbreak of the First World War, having been placed in the active reserve following his national service twelve years before. In this capacity, he served in Lorraine on the Western Front during the German invasion. On 7 April 1915, Pergaud's regiment launched an attack on German lines, in which Pergaud was shot and wounded, falling into barbed wire, where he was trapped. Some hours later, German soldiers rescued him and took him and his comrades to a temporary field hospital behind their lines. It was there, on the morning of the 8 April, that Pergaud was killed with many of his compatriots in a French artillery barrage which destroyed the hospital. Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ... Combatants Belgium, British Empire, France, United States, other Western Allies of WWI Germany Commanders No unified command until 1918, then General Ferdinand Foch Kaiser Wilhelm II Casualties ~4,800,000 Unknown though considerably higher Following the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, the German army opened the Western... April 7 is the 97th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (98th in leap years). ... 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... A selection of forms of barbed wire. ... April 8 is the 98th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (99th in leap years). ...

References

• Cross, Tim, The Lost Voices of World War I, Bloomsbury Publishing, Great Britain: 1988. ISBN 0747542767