My Four Weeks in France

In 1917, celebrated humorist Ring Lardner was dispatched to the French front as a war correspondent, not to pen harrowing tales of combat, but to navigate the labyrinthine absurdities of wartime bureaucracy. Far from the trenches he sought, Lardner found himself perpetually entangled in a comedic odyssey of permits, press passes, and official red tape. This collection, originally serialized for Collier's magazine, chronicles his Sisyphean quest to reach the front lines, often thwarted by the very systems designed to facilitate his reporting, and the amusing futility of trying to get legitimate war stories past the censors. It's a testament to the fact that even in the gravest of times, the most formidable enemy can sometimes be paperwork.