À l'ouest rien de nouveau

Paul Bäumer, nineteen, enlists with his classmates after their teacher Kantorek urges them to fight for the Fatherland in 1914. Sent to the Western Front, they find that war is nothing like the speeches. Remarque describes the trenches, the shelling, hunger, and rats, and shows the friendships that carry the soldiers, notably with the older Katczinsky, called Kat, who knows how to find food. Friends die one by one, and Paul cannot talk about it when he goes home on leave. The novel, published in 1929, shows a generation broken by war.

Ideal for readers who want a direct, human account of the First World War, told from a German soldier's point of view. It is short and hard to forget.

Deep, contemplative and thought-provoking; a moderate read.

Best for readers like The Mindful Reader. Which reader are you?