Émile Moussat

Algerian-born French author, poet and Romanist Émile Moussat was the son of journalist Georges Moussat (1858-1911). Émile Moussat was a school teacher before serving during World War I. He was captured early in 1914 and held as a prisoner-of-war (POW) in Germany until the end of the war.

One of his best-known works Sous le Ciel d’Allemagne (Under the Heaven of Germany) tells about his experiences as a POW in these times. His memories are now a valuable source for historians and provide insights into the everyday’s life of a prisoner-of-war camp during World War I. After his release he taught further in Metz and Paris and joined the Résistance during World War II. At the end of 1940, the Gestapo arrested him in front of his students. He was reportedly released to his family, with the help of a World War I veteran within the Nazi intelligence service.

The poem L’Athlète Brisé (The broken athlete) describes the international rugby match between France and Scotland on January 2nd 1928 and is dedicated to the player Yves du Manoir (1904-1928). He was not on the French team, because he had to pass an aviator’s exam that day. On this flight, he crashed and was killed. This event is referred to in the poem.