Literary Voices of World War I
Poet and Writer
World War I inspired a remarkable body of literature created by soldiers and observers who documented the unprecedented scale of industrialized warfare. Writers and poets captured the psychological trauma, physical suffering, and loss of innocence experienced both on the frontlines and the home front. Moving away from traditional, romanticized depictions of battle, these literary figures embraced realism, satire, and poignant grief to convey the brutal reality of trench warfare, artillery bombardments, and poison gas. Their novels, memoirs, and verses fundamentally reshaped public perception of war, providing enduring insights into human endurance, anti-war sentiment, and the profound cultural impact of the Great War.
People
Birth
Death
Origin
Age (Death)
| 1866 | |
|---|---|
| 1873 | |
| 1886 | |
| 1887 | |
| 1890 | |
| 1893 | |
| 1895 |
Timeline
| Category | |
|---|---|
| Element |
| Year | Poet and Writer |
|---|---|
| 1866 |
Birth of Romain Rolland (Period: January 29, 1866, Location: Clamecy (Nièvre, France))
|
| 1873 |
Birth of Henri Barbusse (Period: May 17, 1873, Location: Asnières-sur-Seine (present-day Hauts-de-Seine, France))
|
| 1886 |
Matriculation at École Normale Supérieure (Romain Rolland)
Birth of Siegfried Sassoon (Period: September 8, 1886, Location: Matfield (present-day Borough of Tunbridge Wells, Kent))
|
| 1887 |
Birth of Rupert Brooke (Period: August 3, 1887, Location: Rugby (Warwickshire, England))
|
| 1889 |
Research at the French School of Rome
|
| 1890 |
Birth of Isaac Rosenberg (Period: November 25, 1890, Location: Bristol (England))
|
| 1892 |
Marriage (Romain Rolland, Clotilde Bréal)
|
| 1893 |
Birth of Wilfred Owen (Period: March 18, 1893, Location: Oswestry, Shropshire, England)
|
| 1895 |
Publication of Poetry Collection "Pleureuses"
Obtaining Doctorate in Letters (Romain Rolland)
Birth of Robert Graves (Period: July 24, 1895, Location: London (Wimbledon))
|
| 1897 |
Relocation to the East End of London (Isaac Rosenberg)
|
| 1898 |
Marriage to Hélyonne Mendès
Marriage (Henri Barbusse, Hélyonne Mendès)
|
| 1900 |
Beginning of Poetry Writing in Childhood
|
| 1901 |
Education at Rugby School
|
| 1903 |
Publication of "The People's Theater"
Publication of "Life of Beethoven"
|
| 1904 |
Apprenticeship as an Engraver and Printmaker
Writing and Publication of "Jean-Christophe"
|
| 1906 |
Matriculation at King's College, Cambridge (Rupert Brooke)
|
| 1908 |
Publication of "L’Enfer (Hell)"
|
| 1909 |
Student Life at Charterhouse School
|
| 1911 |
University Entrance Examinations and Activities in Dunsden (Wilfred Owen)
Publication of "Poems"
Art Education at the Slade School of Fine Art
|
| 1912 |
Mental Breakdown and Recuperation
Publication of Poetry Collection "Night and Day"
Resignation from the Sorbonne
|
| 1913 |
Teaching English in France
Travels in North America and the South Pacific
Election as Fellow of King's College
|
| 1914 |
Composition of the "1914" War Sonnets
Relocation to South Africa for Recuperation (Isaac Rosenberg)
Writing "On Receiving News of the War" during Stay in South Africa
Trench Warfare on the Western Front
Controversy over "Above the Mêlée (Au-dessus de la mêlée)"
Enlistment in the Royal Naval Division
Enlistment in the First World War
Voluntary Enlistment in the First World War
Outbreak of the First World War and Anti-War Declaration
Antwerp Expedition
International Prisoner-of-War Relief Activities
Relocation to Geneva, Switzerland (Romain Rolland)
|
| 1915 |
Publication of Poetry Collection "Youth"
Writing Battlefield Journals during the First World War
Decision for 1915 Nobel Prize in Literature (Romain Rolland)
Publication of "Above the Mêlée"
Departure for the Gallipoli Campaign and Infection
Publication of "The Soldier"
Death of Rupert Brooke
Burial on the Island of Skyros
Posthumous Publication of "1914 and Other Poems"
Decision to Serve in the First World War
Enlistment in the British Army
Deployment to the Western Front in France
Removal from the Front Line due to Lung Damage and Dysentery
|
| 1916 |
Solo Attack on Enemy Positions near Mametz Wood
Awarded the Military Cross for Rescuing Injured Soldiers (Siegfried Sassoon)
Composition of Poetry on the Western Front
War Neurosis (Shell Shock)
Participation in the Battle of Verdun
Publication of "Under Fire" and Awarded the Prix Goncourt (Henri Barbusse)
Awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature (Romain Rolland)
Publication of Poetry Collection "Over the Brazier"
Deployment to the Western Front
Severe Injury at the Battle of the Somme
Awarded the Military Cross (Siegfried Sassoon)
First Experience at the Front on the Western Front
Publication of "Break of Day in the Trenches"
Publication of "Under Fire: The Story of a Squad"
Awarded the Prix Goncourt (Henri Barbusse)
|
| 1917 |
Meeting with Wilfred Owen
Writing "Dead Man’s Dump"
Publication of Poetry Collection "Fairies and Fusiliers"
Founding of the Republican Association of Ex-Servicemen
Illness on the Battlefield and Transfer to Behind-the-Lines Duty
Onset of Shell Shock at the Front
Recuperation at Craiglockhart War Hospital
Development of Poetry at Craiglockhart
"Finished with the War: A Soldier’s Declaration"
Drafting and Publication of "A Soldier’s Declaration"
Recuperation at Craiglockhart Military Hospital
Intervention in Siegfried Sassoon's Anti-War Statement
Meeting with Siegfried Sassoon
Recuperation and Creative Activity in Scarborough
|
| 1918 |
Service in Palestine and Return to France
Post-War Promotion of Wilfred Owen's Works
Marriage (Robert Graves, Nancy Nicholson)
Creative Activity in Ripon
Sending of Final Poem "Through These Pale Cold Days"
German Spring Offensive and Death in Action
Death of Isaac Rosenberg
Wounded by Friendly Fire near Arras
Return to the French Front
Battle of Joncourt
Award Decision for the Military Cross
Death of Wilfred Owen
Death in Action at the Sambre–Oise Canal
|
| 1919 |
Posthumous Publication of Poetry Collections
Post-War Evaluation of Works and Publication of Poetry Collections
Matriculation at St John's College (Robert Graves)
Publication of "Clarté (Light)"
Development of the "Clarté" Movement
Publication of "Colas Breugnon"
|
| 1920 |
Writing Political Works including "Lenin and Leninism"
Interactions with Mahatma Gandhi
Tours Congress and the Split between Socialism and Communism
|
| 1922 |
Relocation to Villa Olga in Villeneuve (Romain Rolland)
|
| 1923 |
Joining the French Communist Party
|
| 1926 |
Reburial of Remains
Family Breakdown over Relationship with Laura Riding
|
| 1928 |
Publication of the "Sherston Trilogy"
Founding of "Monde"
|
| 1929 |
Publication of "Good-Bye to All That"
Relocation to Deià, Mallorca (Robert Graves)
|
| 1930 |
Participation in Anti-Fascist Movements
|
| 1931 |
Establishment of Reputation as a War Poet
|
| 1932 |
World Congress Against Imperialist War
|
| 1933 |
Marriage to Hester Gatty and Birth of Eldest Son George
Opposition to the Hitler Regime
Marriage (Siegfried Sassoon, Hester Gatty)
|
| 1934 |
Publication of "I, Claudius"
Publication of "Claudius the God"
Marriage (Romain Rolland, Marie Kudacheva)
|
| 1935 |
Writing Stalin's Biography "Staline"
Visit to the Soviet Union and Meeting with Joseph Stalin
Death of Henri Barbusse
Death in Moscow
|
| 1936 |
Evacuation from Mallorca due to the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
Support for the Spanish Republic
|
| 1937 |
Settling in Vézelay (Romain Rolland)
|
| 1938 |
Protest against the Munich Agreement
|
| 1939 |
World War II
Backlash against the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact
|
| 1944 |
Death of Romain Rolland
|
| 1950 |
Marriage (Robert Graves, Beryl Pritchard)
|
| 1957 |
Conversion to Catholicism
|
| 1961 |
Appointment as Professor of Poetry at the University of Oxford (Robert Graves)
|
| 1967 |
Death of Siegfried Sassoon
|
| 1985 |
Death of Robert Graves
|
| Unknown |
Marriage (Rupert Brooke, Not Applicable, Period: Not Applicable, Location: Not Applicable)
Marriage (Isaac Rosenberg, Not Applicable, Period: Not Applicable, Location: Not Applicable)
Marriage (Wilfred Owen, None, Period: Unmarried throughout life, Location: Not Applicable)
|
Map
| Category | |
|---|---|
| Element |
Europe
World
Related Links
| Group | List |
|---|---|
| Western Europe | French Politics British Politics Poet and Writer Science and Medicine |
| Central Europe | German Leader Emperors of Austria-Hungary The Sarajevo Incident Science and Medicine |
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