Les Déracinés

work by Barrès

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June 25, 2026

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Les Déracinés (1897), by Maurice Barrès, is a novel that explores the disillusionment of seven young men from Lorraine who leave their native region for Paris. The work is part of Barrès's trilogy Le Roman de l'énergie nationale and reflects his fervent nationalism and ideas about individualism tied to one's homeland.1

The novel illustrates Barrès's concept that individuals are deeply connected to their inherited traditions and that uprooting oneself from these traditions leads to failure and a loss of identity. This theme resonated with the nationalist sentiments in France during the Dreyfus Affair and the period between the World Wars. Barrès, a writer and politician, championed a form of nationalism that emphasized regional attachment and a collective, inherited identity defined by "race".12

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Maurice Barrès
…National Energy”), made up of Les Déracinés (1897; “The Uprooted”), L’Appel au soldat (1900; “The Call to the Soldier”), and Leurs figures (1902; “Their Figures”). In these works he expounded an individualism that included a deep-rooted attachment to one’s native region. Les Déracinés tells the story of seven young provincials…
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…National Energy”), made up of Les Déracinés (1897; “The Uprooted”), L’Appel au soldat (1900; “The Call to the Soldier”), and Leurs figures (1902; “Their Figures”). In these works he expounded an individualism that included a deep-rooted attachment to one’s native region. Les Déracinés tells the story of seven young provincials…
Read More