He fell in October 1918, on a day that was so quiet and still on the whole front, that the army report confined itself to the single sentence: All Quiet on the Western Front.
He had fallen forward and lay on the earth as though sleeping. Turning him over one saw that he could not have suffered long; his face had an expression of calm, as though almost glad the end had come.
, by Erich Maria Remarque, is considered by many to be the greatest war novel of all time. While I have not ready many war novels, I can see why it is given that consideration. This is a fascinating look at the realities of war. The story focuses on a young German soldier named Paul who spends considerable time on the front lines during World War I. Remarque himself saw combat during The Great War and was wounded five times. He makes it very clear that war is hell and can destroy a man, even if he survives. One of the more poignant sections of the book is when Paul returns home on a short leave, and realizes he feels out of place, even at home. The war has considerably affected him, and he begins to feel that once the war is over he will never feel like a normal part of society again. This is definitely a book protesting the evils and atrocities of war. Anyone who thinks war is glorious (although I hope we've gotten past that delusion as a society) should read this book. Actually, everyone should read this book. I like the words Remarque uses to introduce the book, as it sums up why he wrote it, and why it is important to know what these men went through:
This book is to be neither an accusation nor a confession, and least of all an adventure, for death is not an adventure to those who stand face to face with it. It will try simply to tell of a generation of men, who, even though they may have escaped shells, were destroyed by the war.
