"The Greatest War Novel of All Time"

All Quiet on the Western Front -Erich Maria Remarque

"To no man does the earth mean so much as to the soldier" - one quote from the whole novel that sticks in my mind. Studying the First World War through Wilfred Owen and Sebastian Faulks, through my history lessons (and a free DVD Dad got with the Daily Mail) I have come to understand that the earth, Mother Nature, is a soldier's best friend. I chose to write my coursework on the subject and I have discovered an immense interest that has led in turn to a deep respect for nature and the poor soldiers of World War One. Just think: the only stable things in your life are the steady rumble of guns and the contaminated earth beneath your feet. How can anyone love that slow, sticky earth that slows you down, gets inside your skin and spits with gunfire? Because, when you finally die, she is your only loyal companion.

Remarque (originally Erich Paul Remark) was born in Germany and conscripted into the army in 1917, aged just 18. After being wounded five times, the final shrapnel wound caused such serious damage that he spent the rest of the war in a military hospital. With first hand knowledge, Remarque has written a fantastic fictional novel from the perspective of a 20 year-old German boy named Paul Bäumer. Paul volunteers to join the German army with his classmates and the book follows the course of the war and the subtle reduction of the group's number. It is a realistic novel that is straight to the point about conveying the horror of war.

One of the most interesting aspects of this book is the German perspective - I have never before read about the war from any perspective other than that of the British soldier. In British books, the German soldiers live comfortable and securely at the Western front and so they do in this book. Often Bäumer and his friends feast off goose, roast pork and on one occasion, lobster! The length of time that the German soldiers seem to stay at the front also seems significantly less than that of the British soldiers and the level of organisation and regulation seems much higher. However, ultimately, the situation is the same - Paul faces injury, death and inhumanity on a massive scale, on a daily basis.

Three things struck me about this novel: the feeling of comradeship, the brutality of the German forces and the subtle style of Remarque. Comradeship is a huge theme in this book, but the relationships that Paul has with his classmates appear closer than the relationship between two lovers. It becomes most apparent when Paul visits his family whilst on leave; the tone of the book becomes cold as the reader senses the isolation that the soldier feels from life at home. The brutality of the German forces is something unusual and it led me to feel much less sympathy for the ruthless soldiers; there are descriptions of a German counter attack on the French in which they stab the fleeing backs of enemy forces and chase them back into their own trench. This inhumane description probably matches the actions of the British but never before have I read about the ruthless murders of Germans at British hands. It was an honest and brave subject to include - probably giving more reason for Hitler to ban the text in the 1930s.

Finally, Remarque's subtle style; the way he writes is impressive and almost beautiful. I only became aware of it in the final chapters of the novel when I suddenly realised that Germany had gone from being a triumphant force feasting on succulent meat every night to a weak, deteriorating minute force. We see this gradual change in the character of Paul and in the final pages the reader slowly and sadly realises he has become the last surviving member of his class.

However, I don't want to be misleading; Remarque goes out of his way to convey the horrific, brutal truth about war, about men who "run with both their feet cut off", "without mouths, without jaws, without faces". The detachment from normal civilian life, the psychological effects of the guns and the comradeship are all included as in every good war novel; this is, without a doubt, a stunning account of war. However, the greatest war novel of all time? It is debatable. Admittedly, I don't know whether I have encountered a better one (not one from an author who saw the events with his own eyes) but the fact that it is a translation sometimes makes it hard to comprehend. Ultimately, I would like to read more of this genre before making such a definite judgement on a literary position so high.

Please comment if you have anything to add to this review of "All Quiet on the Western Front".