France at War

W. Somerset Maugham
France at War
Heinemann, Paperback, 1940.
8vo. 89 pp.

First published by Heinemann in March 1940.

Little propaganda book written to raise the British awareness of the French war effort in the early stages of the Second World War. Maugham spent six weeks going everywhere and meeting everybody: admirals in naval bases, generals at the front, mayors in cities awaiting desctruction. He also talked with soldiers, women, refugees, priests. As always, he was much more concerned with people than with institutions, much less with military machinery.

Largely insincere and insignificant booklet for all but Maugham buffs. For them, however, it does mean something. For it is a charming period piece describing an important, though untypical, part of Maugham's life and it does contain a number of interesting points, the goofy affectation notwithstanding.