Quote:
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This books is to be neither accusation nor a confession, and least of all an adventure, for death is not an adventure for those who stand face to face with it. It will try simply to tell of a generation of men who, even though they may have escaped shells, were destroyed by war.
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I remember sitting in a high school English class and being moved by that brief author's statement, which prefaces
All Quiet on the Western Front. We went on to read the book and then watch both the 1930 film and 1979 television re-make then having discussions about the novel and comparing/contrasting the films against each other and the book. I think because of all of this (the length & depth of discussions) the book has "stuck with me" all these years since and remained a favorite.
The novel does an excellent job of showing the mental and physical stresses a soldier faces in war. It's not a war story that tells of big acts of bravery and adventure, but rather just brings us along as we follow every day soldiers and what they encounter, how they felt. Waiting for the artillery to come, day to day boredom, and the detached feeling towards civilian life when visiting home. IMO whether one ends up liking the book or not it is an important book that everyone should read at least once.
My reading experiences are with the Arthur Wesley Wheen translation. There is a newer translation by Brian Murdoch which I've seen quite a bit of criticism about (as in highly flawed), but haven't read.