Paul Baumer enlisted with his classmates in the German army of World War
I. Youthful, enthusiastic, they become soldiers. But despite what they
have learned, they break into pieces under the first bombardment in the
trenches. And as horrible war plods on year after year, Paul holds fast
to a single vow: to fight against the principles of hate that
meaninglessly pits young men of the same generation but different
uniforms against each other--if only he can come out of the war alive.
"The world has a great writer in Erich Maria Remarque. He is a craftsman
of unquestionably first trank, a man who can bend language to his will.
Whether he writes of men or of inanimate nature, his touch is sensitive,
firm, and sure."
THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW