Henri Barbusse (1873-1935) was initially a journalist. Immediately upon the outbreak of World War I, he volunteered for the French army and was mostly deployed at the front until 1916. During this time, his initial enthusiasm transformed into a strict rejection of the war. His successful novel "The Fire," published in 1916, is based on his own experiences in trench warfare and had a significant influence on the pacifist war literature of the era, notably Erich Maria Remarque's "All Quiet on the Western Front." In 1923, Barbusse joined the Communist Party of France, and after 1933, he strongly advocated for the imprisoned KPD leader Ernst Thälmann, who was held by the Nazis. Barbusse died in 1935 while on a lecture tour in the Soviet Union.