LoveReading4Kids Says
LoveReading4Kids Says
Line of Fire is one of the most extraordinary - and beautiful - books about the First World War. This diary of an unknown French soldier tells of his experiences in the very early days of the fighting at the Front. Told as a matter-of-fact catalogue of events, it records the strange journey from normal civilian life into the life of a solder with all the hardship that brings. While there is no wallowing in all the unpleasantness that he sees, its impact is strongly felt. Through Barroux’s wonderful illustrations readers emphasise absolutely with the soldier’s experience.
Astonishingly, the book was found completely by chance on a Paris street by author-illustrator Barroux. He rescued the diary from the rubbish, took it back to his studio and, moved and inspired by the soldier’s story, adapted the soldier’s diary into a striking and unforgettable black and white graphic novel.
In the words of Michael Morpurgo, who has written a special introduction to the book, this is ‘a witness statement, the untrammelled, unedited voice of someone who was there.’
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About
Line of Fire Diary of an Unknown Soldier August - September 1914 Synopsis
The diary begins in August 1914 with the outbreak of World War 1. The last entry is 12th September the same year. We don’t know what happened to the soldier.
We know that he was an infantryman. We know he had a wife and children. We know he narrowly escaped death on 28th August 1914. The rest is a mystery. The diary was discovered with a medal and a song book that postdates the diary by over a year. There is no name in the diary.
The soldier’s diary is searingly honest as he records his experiences of war. We understand his feelings of camaraderie for his fellow soldiers, experience his fear and the boredom, and empathizes with his homesickness and concern for his family.
‘We need the voice of a witness to tell the unadulterated truth. We have it in this remarkable book.’ Michael Morpurgo.
Visit www.lineoffirebook.com for a wealth of information about this extraordinary book, with useful teaching resources and a blog including a full interview with Barroux.
About This Edition
| ISBN: |
9781907912399 |
| Publication date: |
1st February 2014 |
| Author: |
Barroux |
| Illustrator: |
Barroux |
| Publisher: |
Phoenix Yard Books |
| Format: |
Paperback |
| Pagination: |
93 pages |
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Press Reviews
Barroux Press Reviews
‘We need the voice of a witness to tell the unadulterated truth. We have it in this remarkable book.’ Michael Morpurgo.
Author
About Barroux
Stephane Barroux was born in Paris, where he lives now but he grew up in Morocco. He studied photography, art, sculpture, and architecture in France at the famous École Estienne and École Boule. He went on to work as an art director in Paris and Montreal. While in Montreal, Barroux began illustrating by creating linocut images, and he is now well known for his children’s book illustrations.
Barroux has won many international honours, from the 2005 Prix Enfantasie to the PEN award and the Prix Médecins Sans Frontières in 2015. His sensitivity to the problem facing humanity and the natural world is reflected in many of his books, including Line of Fire with Michael Morpurgo, and Alpha with Bessora. Most recently he has illustrated Hello! A Counting Book of Kindness, by Hollis Kurman.
Check him out on Instagram @barrouxillustrations
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