Erich Maria Remarque (1898–1970)

Dehumanizing the enemy comes with the territory during wartime. It can take years for former enemies to seem human again. Following World War I, this process sped along more quickly thanks to Erich Maria Remarque and his great novel “All Quiet on the Western Front.” Published in 1928, the book describing the war from a German point of view quickly became an international bestseller, even in countries such as the United States that a decade before had been at war with Germany.

Remarque show more later became a U.S. citizen and married a movie star (Paulette Goddard), but he continued to write about the war from the German point of view. Among these writings is “Eight Stories” (2018), a collection of tales he wrote for American magazines, mostly Collier's.

The stories show us that long after a war is over and after the citizens of warring nations have accepted each other as human again, the war still goes on for those who fought on the front lines. They can never really go home again

In "Where Karl Had Fought," a friend drives Karl Broeger back to the battlefield where he had fought 10 years before. A bank manager now, he was a sergeant then, leading a charge. The narrator says, "In the midst of the fourteen thousand crosses on the broad central pathway a solitary man, remote and small, goes to and fro, ever to and fro. That is more afflicting than if all were still. Karl pushes on."

"Josef's Wife" tells of a soldier who doesn't remember his wife when he is brought home to her after the war. They own a farm, but he is useless on it. Nothing helps Josef until his wife decides to take him back to the battlefield, to the very site where he sustained his injuries.

The first story in the book may be the best of the lot. Called "The Enemy," the story makes the point that the real enemy in wartime is not the soldiers on the other side but rather the weapons that all soldiers carry. When one holds a tool of any kind, whether it's a hammer or a gun, it must eventually be put to use.

In the story, German and French soldiers temporarily put down their weapons and exchange simple gifts in no man's land. This echoes a true story about a brief Christmas truce between the trenches in 1914, dramatized in the wonderful French film “Joyeux” Noel.

All of these stories are brief. Each is poignant. Together they give us a picture of war that lasts as long as the soldiers do. show less

A nice gruesome classic; perfect for reading on the beach during summer. I particularly enjoyed the description of all the corpse rats and how fat and healthy they were out in the all-you-can-eat battlefield buffet. I was glad that Remarque was able to weave in a little bit of dark humor here and there with such a gloomy backdrop. It was always fun to read thru the parts where Paul Baumer and the other soldiers from his squad would beat the shit out of corporal Himmelstoss for being such a show more prick to his recruits, or getting payback on that piece of shit Kantorek after he waltzed so many young men into the war and ultimately to their doom. Definitely one of the greatest war novels ever written. And that's probably why Hitler banned it when he showed up on the scene to stink the joint up. show less

I never want to rate books I read for school because I tend to view them in a different way and I interact with them in a certain fashion. But, I loved this book enough to ignore my rule on rating books for school because this book had an effect on me. All Quiet on the Western Front did not paint war as this heroic moment full of glory and patriotism, but as a moment of death and destruction that pits man against man, for what? A couple of yards on a map? There are no real winners of war show more except those that do not have to fight, and those that do will never forget what they saw. World War I was a war that was destined to be and a war that all the powers of Europe wanted no matter the cost. World War I defined a generation and the wounds it left across the globe have never really healed and are easy to reopen. show less

I finally got around to reading this classic about a German soldier's experience during WWI. It was published in 1929 and of course created a storm of discussion and controversy. Remarque doesn't soften or glamorize the war, instead he gives a realistic portrayal of the horrors of death, wounds, and lack of food. He also explores the friendships and connections made on the front and the challenges of returning home during periods of leave.

I was so mad, reading this, that just a few decades show more later WWII happened. I'll never understand how people who lived through WWI could have allowed WWII to happen. Academically, I've heard and understand the standard answer, but I still don't really comprehend it.

I thought this was really well done and obviously an important work, but reading about war will just never be a "favorite" for me. show less