Au seuil des guitounes

The third of Maurice Genevoix’s war narratives, Au Seuil des Guitounes (a term of North African origin designating a tent in military slang) is dedicated to four fellow students from the École Normale Supérieure killed in combat, and covers the period from 20 October to 3 November 1914. Like Sous Verdun, the first of these war narratives, it suffered the ordeal of censorship.

As with the other narratives subjected to the same fate, Genevoix kept another copy of this title, in which he restored by hand — here on page 19, where it had been blacked out — the passage in question. This extract alone explains why it was censored: “[…] It’s always the same: those who know nothing are precisely the ones who command.”

As with Sous Verdun, the definitive version would not be published until 1926.

A fine copy, kept in wrappers by its author.

Bookplate of “Vernelles” at the front.