Pierre and Luce

"Pierre and Luce" by Romain Rolland is a novel written in the early 20th century. The story is set against the backdrop of World War I and explores the complexities of young love amid the chaos and despair of war. The main characters, Pierre and Luce, are two adolescents grappling with the harsh realities of life, loss, and the emotional turbulence brought on by the ongoing conflict. The opening of the novel introduces Pierre, an 18-year-old caught in the rush of a subway in Paris, overwhelmed by the oppressive atmosphere of the city and the war that has turned his youth into a time of dread and confusion. He experiences a moment of serendipity when he notices a young woman, Luce, who enters the train car and captivates his attention. Their brief, silent encounter blossoms into a poignant connection as they, despite the chaos around them, find solace in their grasped hands. Pierre's longing for understanding and connection illustrates the depth of his inner turmoil and desire for meaning against the backdrop of a world marked by violence and upheaval. The narrative sets the stage for their evolving relationship as they both navigate their feelings in a time of uncertainty. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Romain Rolland was a French dramatist, novelist, essayist, art historian and mystic who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1915 "as a tribute to the lofty idealism of his literary production and to the sympathy and love of truth with which he has described different types of human beings".