In the Foreign Legion: The Experiences of a Journalist Who Joined the French Foreign Legion in North Africa at the Turn of the 20th Century

by Erwin Rosen

The desert and the kepi blanc
The young author of this book thought he knew something of military life. He had served with American forces during the Spanish-American War, but by 1904 he was out of luck and desperate for a new way of life. Like many young men before and after him the 'glamour' of life in the French Foreign Legion exerted its irresistible appeal. Also like many Legion recruits he came to understand just how far from the gruelling reality his idealistic view was. Rosen shortly found himself in North Africa and so began the training which would turn him into a fully fledged Legionnaire. This was the French Foreign Legion of the era prior to the First World War where 'March or Die' was not just a slogan but a way of life-or death This is a riveting account of what it was to be part of the French mercenary corps in the early years of the twentieth century by one who experienced it. Recommended. Available in softcover and hardcover with dustjacket.

Genres: Military Fiction

180 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1909

Reviews

[Flowww Rian · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I started reading this book, I didn’t know that it is over 100 years old.

Despite this fact was a surprise for me, it also brought some positive effects with it.
It paints a very different picture of the Foreign Legion than we know today. The legionnaire lives poorly, downright serfdom and enters a vicious circle with almost no chance of escape, suffers from arbitrary punishments of its officers, and has an extremely tight, daily repeating and monotonous time table.

Nevertheless, the author is a child of his time. His view of non-Europeans and non-Christians is, from today's perspective, backward and partly discriminatory. Even though I presume, the author belongs to the moderate contemporaries.

What I also noticed negatively is that dialects are written in spoken language in order to reflect the speaker’s pronunciation. This disturbs the reading flow immensely.

All in all, I would recommend the book to people who like to deal with the subject matter, but point out that it is not so much a documentary as a critique of the Legion.

[Sniffel1402 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unterhaltsam, aber auch ein Spiegelbild seiner Zeit was Meinungen und Wertungen angeht.

[Mick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very nice and interesting book. Written about 100 years ago, but in a style that sounds contemporary. Full of interesting information about "then and there".

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

It felt like I had joined the legion when all I wanted to do was read the book. I wasn't a big fan of his liberal use of the "n word" but it seemed very descriptive of what life was like.