Aug 06, 2003 10:59 AM
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(Updated Aug 06, 2003 11:35 AM)
German writer, Erich Maria Remarque (1898-1970) was one of those writers in the arena of literature who had to live in the shadow of his ''big'' first book. Yes, I am talking of IM WESTEN NICHTS NEUES (tr. All Quiet on the Western Front, 1929). Remarque, in his works concentrated largely on the collapse of the old European world and values and some of his later works were critically acclaimed. They never managed, however, to rise to the fame of his first book, which depicted the horror of war from the ordinary soldier's point of view.
This powerful novel is a real eye - opener about a generation of young men who were cruelly uprooted from their normal lives and sent to war and how it destroyed them. It is the story of the lovable and not so extraordinary 20-year-old German enlistee Paul Baumer. Paul starts as an innocent teenager at the start of the novel but soon becomes all too knowledgeable about death. He is the narrator in the novel and strips war of all its glory. He is in one sense the spokesman of ''a generation that was destroyed by war, even though it might have escaped its shells''.
The novel is semi biographical in the sense that Remarque was forced to enlist in the German army at the age of 18. He fought in the Western Front and was wounded several times. Ever since its publication the book has been at the centre of attention. The Nazis banned it and Remarque was dubbed as unpatriotic. But inspite of all the hostilities from the Nazis and the fact that copies of the books were burnt on the streets, the book has been hailed as the greatest novel of World War I, and was later made into a memorable film.
The novel starts in 1917 after a battle, in which half of Paul Bäumer's company has been killed. Paul for most parts of the book is the narrator and the reader goes through his life in flashbacks. Paul and several of his classmates had joined the war voluntarily, inspired by the stirring patriotic speeches of their teacher, Kantorek. But their ideas about the glorified image of the war are shattered after receiving brutal treatments in hands of Corporal Himmelstoss. It does not take long for the rookies to realize that the ideals of nationalism and patriotism for which they enlisted are simply empty clichés.
The reader after reading the initial few pages starts to identify himself/herself with the plight of these young men who are clearly at a loss what they were in the war for. The war goes on and the Germans are pushed further back. It is narrated in first person in a cool style, a stark contrast to patriotic rhetoric. Remarque records the daily horrors in the trenches, where machine guns continue to kill millions. ''At the next war let all the Kaisers, Presidents and Generals and diplomats go into a big field and fight it out first among themselves. That will satisfy us and keep us home.'' (Katzinsky)
Katzinsky fondly called as Katz by Paul and the other soldiers offers some poetic relief amidst the horror. Katz is a magician in the eyes of his comrades and they admire him much more than the higher ranked officers. Katz is resourceful, is inventive and always manages to find food, clothing and blankets whenever he and his friends require them. He is Paul's best friend and his confidante.
The summer of 1918 sees the German front pushing further back and all the soldiers who have miraculously escaped death so far are waiting eagerly for the war to end. In October, when the western front is relatively quiet, Paul is killed, just a week or so before the armistice.
All Quiet on the Western Front is a chilling book and you would be disturbed for sure when you finish reading the last page. Remarque through Paul narrates the tragic lives of the so called lost generation - boys and teenagers who went straight to war from school, who have no clue about what future has in store for them. They are at total loss as to what they will do when the war ends. The longer they survive and the more they hate the bloody war, the less certain they are that the world will be a better place when the war ends. Against such depressing expectations, Paul is relieved by his death: ''his face had an expression of calm, as though almost glad the end had come.''. The war indeed destroys Paul and his generation long before it kills them.
All Quiet on the Western Front is a novel that is relevant even today. A remarkable book which you will be forced to finish at one sitting. Happy reading.
