Michel Laval's 'Charles Péguy : dernière guerre' Reconstructs the Writer's Final Days

A review of Michel Laval's book 'Tué à l’ennemi. La dernière guerre de Charles Péguy' (Calmann-Lévy) examines the writer's final weeks before his death in World War I. The review, by Patrick Kéchichian, highlights Laval's approach of placing Péguy's fate within a broader historical context rather than focusing solely on the individual. Laval meticulously reconstructs the period from August 1, 1914, when the tocsin announced war, to Péguy's death on September 5, 1914, near Villeroy. Péguy, who had been writing 'Note conjointe sur M. Descartes et la philosophie cartésienne,' left it unfinished mid-sentence. He visited Henri Bergson in July, entrusting his wife and children to him. On August 4, as Jaurès was buried, Péguy left Paris for Coulommiers to join the 276th infantry regiment. Laval details the chaotic battles, listing locations and casualties without hierarchy. Péguy's letters to his mother Cécile, wife Charlotte, and friend Geneviève Favre spoke of 'a sort of great peace.' He died at 5:30 PM on September 5, 1914, aged 41, from a bullet to the forehead. The next day, the Battle of the Marne began.