It’s not often that a single man can make such an impact on the world’s perception of a fundamental part life. Erich Maria Remarque, the author of many controversial war-themed novels, was able to expose the world to the true horrors of war. Having fought in the trenches during World War I, young Remarque found out the extent to which men will fight and kill. Like many others in his generation, the trenches swallowed up a young man, and spit out a wise and broken warrior. Remarque’s battlefield experiences left him cracked and scarred, but they also motivated him to bring to light the timeless realities of war through his thought provoking writing.
Erich Maria Remarque was born on June 22nd, 1898 in Osnabrück, Germany to a poor family of bookbinders (“Erich Maria Remarque - History”). The Remarks (later changed to Remarque), retained the Catholic traditions of their French ancestry despite living in a predominantly Protestant region of Germany (Henningfeld). As a young boy, Remarque attended a Catholic primary school, where he proved to be a very talented student. However, despite showing great potential, educational opportunities for working-class children-- especially Catholic children-- were scarce (Kellman and Magill). To spare him from the life of a common laborer, Remarque’s parents sent him to a …show more content…
In Remarque’s home country, Adolf Hitler the novel as fuel for his public book burnings. The Nazi Party criticized the book for its “negativity” towards the German Army. Due to the controversial nature of his writing, Remarque’s German citizenship was revoked (Rollyson). And at the height of the Nazis’ reign, Remarque’s sister was taken from her home and publicly beheaded as a symbol of power over Remarque who had fled across the border into Switzerland (Kellman and
Erich Maria Remarque was born on June 22nd, 1898 in Osnabrück, Germany to a poor family of bookbinders (“Erich Maria Remarque - History”). The Remarks (later changed to Remarque), retained the Catholic traditions of their French ancestry despite living in a predominantly Protestant region of Germany (Henningfeld). As a young boy, Remarque attended a Catholic primary school, where he proved to be a very talented student. However, despite showing great potential, educational opportunities for working-class children-- especially Catholic children-- were scarce (Kellman and Magill). To spare him from the life of a common laborer, Remarque’s parents sent him to a …show more content…
In Remarque’s home country, Adolf Hitler the novel as fuel for his public book burnings. The Nazi Party criticized the book for its “negativity” towards the German Army. Due to the controversial nature of his writing, Remarque’s German citizenship was revoked (Rollyson). And at the height of the Nazis’ reign, Remarque’s sister was taken from her home and publicly beheaded as a symbol of power over Remarque who had fled across the border into Switzerland (Kellman and