Erich Maria Remarque

About the Author born on June 22, 1898, in Osnabruck, Germany “bookish” sort of fellow; collected butterflies, hiked and wrote in his journal He was often in conflict with his teachers- particularly a prof. by the name Konschorek who was the prototype of the character Kantorek. In Nov. 1916, while in his 3 rd year of education, Remarque was called up for military service, and trained at Osnabruck’s Westerberg Camp. He was given many emergency leaves to visit dying mother.

Osnabruck, Germany

About the Author, cont. While suffering from his own injuries, his mother dies in Once discharged in 1918, Remarque suffered disorientation, disillusionment about nationalism and extreme sadness over his mother’s death.

Maria? Isn’t that a woman’s name? His name, given at birth, was actually Erich Paul Remarque. When his mother lost her battle to cancer, shortly after his return from the front, he adopted her name as his own. Subsequently, his gave his own name to the main character in his war novel All Quiet on the Western Front.

Life After War tried working as a substitute teacher served as a test driver and ad writer for Berlin Tire Company reporter and asst. editor 1920 published poems and essays but was a humiliating failure Finally, in four weeks, he wrote an impressionistic novel about World War I. It was published in Germany as Im Western Nichts Neues in 1928 (in English, All Quiet on the Western Front). Remarque continued to write anti-war novels. He escaped to Switzerland only a few weeks before Hitler took over.

All Quiet on the Western Front: The Movie

Life After War, cont. Remarque’s books were burned and banned by the Hitler regime. During WW II Remarque returns to New York to live. He learns that his younger sister was accused of treason and beheaded. Remarque lives out his fast life in New York, traveling between Switzerland and Rome. He dies of an aneurysm in 1970.

Hitler didn’t like his novels….why? Remarque fled to Switzerland to avoid possible Nazi retaliation for his sequel to All Quiet, The Road Back.

Rocky Road (no, not the ice cream) Remarque moved to the U.S. in 1939, found out his sister was murdered by the Nazi’s in WWII because of her relationship with him, and divorced his wife in How do you think these things could possibly affect a person?

Remarque liked the ladies… -Dated Marlene Dietrich -Married Paulette Goddard

Remarque died in Switzerland in 1970 Porto Ronco, Switzerland

First World War

Allied Powers 1) United Kingdom 2) France 3) Russia (until 1917) 4) United States (after 1917)

Central Powers 1) German Empire 2) Austro-Hungarian Empire 3) Ottoman Empire

Neutral Countries (in Europe) Denmark Luxembourg Netherlands (referred to as Holland in the book) Norway Spain Sweden Switzerland

European Map circa 1914

The Western Front

The Western Front ( )

Who won? The inexorable advance of the Allied armies in 1918 persuaded the German commanders that defeat was unavoidable. Win goes to the Allies. In reality, all countries involved suffered severe casualties whether it was human lives, power, land, money or political stability. 20 million dead, 21 million wounded