His most notable work was the novel La Guerre des boutons (1912) (English: The War of the Buttons).
It has been reprinted more than 30 times, and is included on the French high-school curriculum.A schoolteacher by profession, Pergaud came into conflict with Roman Catholic authorities over the implementation of the Third French Republic's separation of Church and State enacted in 1905.
In 1907 Pergaud chose to move to Paris to pursue his literary career.
Pergaud's prose works are often considered to reflect the influences of Realist, Decadent and Symbolist movements.