La Flamme au poing

La Flamme au poing is a war novel intended as an ardent testimony to the sacrifice of soldiers. An infantry officer, Henry Malherbe wrote a text marked by patriotic exaltation and lyrical fervor, in keeping with the patriotic spirit of the time. Although the work left less of a mark on posterity than Barbusse’s Le Feu or Genevoix’s Sous Verdun, it illustrates well the orientation of the jury during the war: to crown works reflecting the combatant’s experience and national unity.

This prize also helped strengthen the young publishing house Albin Michel, founded in 1902, for which this was its first Prix Goncourt, establishing it among the leading publishers; it would go on to win the Goncourt four more times over the following fifteen years (René Maran, Henri Béraud, Roger Vercel, Maxence Van der Meersch).

From the library of J.C.F. Jacobi (bookplate).