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Erich Maria Remarque, author portrait
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Erich Maria Remarque

German
1898 – 1970
Erich Maria Remarque was a German novelist. His landmark novel All Quiet on the Western Front (1928), based on his experience in the Imperial German Army during World War I, was an international bestseller which created a new literary genre of veterans writing about conflict. The book was adapted to film several times. Remarque's anti-war themes led to his condemnation by Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels as "unpatriotic". He was able to use his literary success and fame to relocate to Switzerland as a refugee, and to the United States, where he became a naturalized citizen.
On LuvemBooks, we've reviewed All Quiet on the Western Front.
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In Erich Maria Remarque's own words

Erich Maria Remarque discusses the themes, writing process, and reception of 'All Quiet on the Western Front' in an archival television interview.

Recorded 1962 · Uploaded by Text und Bühne, 2022 · Watch on YouTube ·

The burden of overnight literary fame

Remarque reflects on the downside of sudden massive success, noting that an author is no longer evaluated as a beginner who has room to learn, but rather judged as a seasoned master who must defend a pinnacle achievement.

Dispelling the rumored influence of Ernest Hemingway

Remarque rejects the common claim that Hemingway influenced his style, clarifying that he could not even read English at the time and only read Hemingway's work years later.

Declining to appear in the Hollywood adaptation

Producer Carl Laemmle invited Remarque to Hollywood to act in and work on the film adaptation, but Remarque declined because he refused to build a business around the war a second time.

Also in this interview

On All Quiet on the Western Front

Cover of All Quiet on the Western Front
All Quiet on the Western Front

4.7/5

reader rating · 4,664 ratings

Erich Maria Remarque's semi-autobiographical novel, originally published in German in 1929, follows young German soldier Paul Bäumer through the physical and psychological devastation of World War I — a work that sold 2.5 million copies in 22 languages within its first 18 months and has endured nearly a century as one of the most significant war novels ever written. The Ballantine Books mass market paperback edition presents Arthur W. Wheen's English translation, the version whose title has, as translator Brian Murdoch later acknowledged, "justly become part of the English language."

Reviewed Mar 5, 2026

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