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Washington Mews Books
Eight Stories: Tales of War and Loss
A compelling set of short stories from the author of World War I classic, All Quiet on the Western Front
German-American novelist Erich Maria Remarque captured the emotional anguish of a generation in his World War I masterpiece, All Quiet on the Western Front, as well as in an impressive selection of novels, plays, and short stories. This exquisite collection revives Remarque's unforgettable voice, presenting a series of short stories that have long ago faded from public memory.
From the haunting description of an abandoned battlefield to the pain of losing a loved one in the war to soldiers' struggles with what we now recognize as PTSD, the stories offer an unflinching glimpse into the physical, emotional, and even spiritual implications of World War I. In this collection, we follow the trials of naive war widow Annette Stoll, reflect on the power of small acts of kindness toward a dying soldier, and join Johann Bartok, a weary prisoner of war, in his struggle to reunite with his wife.
Although a century has passed since the end of the Great War, Remarque's writing offers a timeless reflection on the many costs of war. Eight Stories offers a beautiful tribute to the pain that war inflicts on soldiers and civilians alike, and resurrects the work of a master author whose legacy - like the war itself - will endure for generations to come.
German-American novelist Erich Maria Remarque captured the emotional anguish of a generation in his World War I masterpiece, All Quiet on the Western Front, as well as in an impressive selection of novels, plays, and short stories. This exquisite collection revives Remarque's unforgettable voice, presenting a series of short stories that have long ago faded from public memory.
From the haunting description of an abandoned battlefield to the pain of losing a loved one in the war to soldiers' struggles with what we now recognize as PTSD, the stories offer an unflinching glimpse into the physical, emotional, and even spiritual implications of World War I. In this collection, we follow the trials of naive war widow Annette Stoll, reflect on the power of small acts of kindness toward a dying soldier, and join Johann Bartok, a weary prisoner of war, in his struggle to reunite with his wife.
Although a century has passed since the end of the Great War, Remarque's writing offers a timeless reflection on the many costs of war. Eight Stories offers a beautiful tribute to the pain that war inflicts on soldiers and civilians alike, and resurrects the work of a master author whose legacy - like the war itself - will endure for generations to come.
192 pages, Paperback
First published May 29, 2018
11 people are currently reading
137 people want to read
About the author
Erich Maria Remarque
211 books6,034 followersErich Maria Remarque was a German novelist best known for All Quiet on the Western Front (1929), a landmark anti-war novel based on his experiences in World War I. The book became an international bestseller, defining a new genre of veterans’ literature and inspiring multiple film adaptations. Its strong anti-war themes led to condemnation by the Nazi regime, which banned and burned his works.
Born Erich Paul Remark in 1898, he adopted the surname Remarque to honor his French ancestry. He served on the Western Front during World War I, where he was wounded, and later pursued various jobs, including teaching, editing, and technical writing. After the massive success of All Quiet on the Western Front, he wrote several other novels addressing war and exile, such as The Road Back, Three Comrades, and Arch of Triumph. His outspoken opposition to the Nazi regime forced him into exile in Switzerland and later the United States, where he became a naturalized citizen in 1947.
Remarque’s personal life included high-profile relationships with actresses Marlene Dietrich and Paulette Goddard, the latter of whom he married in 1958. In 1943, his youngest sister, Elfriede, was executed by the Nazis for anti-regime remarks, an event that deeply affected him. He spent his later years in Switzerland, where he continued writing. His final completed novel, The Night in Lisbon (1962), was another bestseller.
He died in 1970 at the age of 72, leaving behind a literary legacy that continues to shape discussions on war and its consequences.
AKA:
Эрих Мария Ремарк (Russian)
Born Erich Paul Remark in 1898, he adopted the surname Remarque to honor his French ancestry. He served on the Western Front during World War I, where he was wounded, and later pursued various jobs, including teaching, editing, and technical writing. After the massive success of All Quiet on the Western Front, he wrote several other novels addressing war and exile, such as The Road Back, Three Comrades, and Arch of Triumph. His outspoken opposition to the Nazi regime forced him into exile in Switzerland and later the United States, where he became a naturalized citizen in 1947.
Remarque’s personal life included high-profile relationships with actresses Marlene Dietrich and Paulette Goddard, the latter of whom he married in 1958. In 1943, his youngest sister, Elfriede, was executed by the Nazis for anti-regime remarks, an event that deeply affected him. He spent his later years in Switzerland, where he continued writing. His final completed novel, The Night in Lisbon (1962), was another bestseller.
He died in 1970 at the age of 72, leaving behind a literary legacy that continues to shape discussions on war and its consequences.
AKA:
Эрих Мария Ремарк (Russian)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
August 28, 2023
8 works of heart and soul
💔❤️🩹Remarque writes about the bleakness of a world after a war like few others can. He writes about what we call PTSD, when they called it shell shock, and a soldier struggling to overcome it with the help of his wife. These stories are beautifully and passionately written. It will only take you 2 hours to read them. But they will stay with you for a good deal longer than that.
💔❤️🩹Remarque writes about the bleakness of a world after a war like few others can. He writes about what we call PTSD, when they called it shell shock, and a soldier struggling to overcome it with the help of his wife. These stories are beautifully and passionately written. It will only take you 2 hours to read them. But they will stay with you for a good deal longer than that.
July 30, 2020
You know, of course, it is no fairy tale when I say that the sense of this declining August afternoon moved, sweet and strong, in my veins. A soldier has a far different relationship with nature from that of most men. All the thousand inhibitions, the barriers and constraints fall away before the hard, the terrible existence on the borders of death; and during the minutes and the hours of respite, in the days out resting, the idea of life, the mere fact of being still there, of having come through, would sometimes swell into sheer joy at being able to see, and to breathe and to move freely about.
A field under the evening sun, the blue shadows of a wood, the rustle of a poplar, the clear flood of running waters, were then a joy beyond naming; but deep down in it, like a whip, like a thorn, lay the sharp pain of the knowledge that in a few hours, in a few days, all this must be left behind, changed once more for the seared landscapes of death. And this feeling, so strangely compounded out of happiness, pain, melancholy, grief, desire and hopelessness, was the common experience of a soldier out resting.
*
But here in the factory yard I saw only men like ourselves. And for the first time I understood that it was against men I was fighting; men, bewitched like ourselves by strong words and weapons; men, who had wives, children, parents and callings, and who, perhaps—if the suggestion had come to me from them—must even now be awakening also and looking about them in just the same way and asking: “Brothers, what is it we are doing here? What is all this?”
*
No man can say exactly when it begins: but suddenly the smooth, gently rounded lines of the horizon alter; the red and brown, the bright burning colors of the leaves of the forest take on all at once a queer tone, the fields fade and wither to ocher tints; something strange, still, pallid is in the landscape, and one is at a loss to explain it.
*
There is no silence like this one in the world, for this silence is a stupendous, petrified cry. There is nothing in it of the quiet of the graveyard; for there among the many weary, spent lives sleeps little that was ardent and young; but here for hundreds of thousands that great power standing in their eyes, the force that let them breathe, and see, and duck, and fight, was suddenly shivered to atoms: here in the convulsion of tensest self-defense Life was coveted, cherished, believed in, more passionately, more wildly, more fervently, more madly than ever; and in upon this distraught, straining will, this boiling whirlpool of activity, torment, hope, fear, greed of life, burst the hail of splinters and bullets. Then the toughest, frailest thing there is, Life, poured out its blood, and the great darkness came down upon eight hundred thousand men.
Above these fields the lost years seem to stand, the years that have not been fulfilled—the call of the unlived life, that finds no rest—the cry of youth quenched too soon, in full career come to its end. Surely at night they burst up from the earth like ghostly blue fire.
*
She stood before the house that had been her home. She ran down the garden. Her excitement grew. The moon was shining and the roofs glistened. There was a smell of spring in the air and she had a sense of something near, of something about to begin—already it was rising up over the horizon, it was coming, seeking to be remembered, seeking a name.
She went out across the meadows. The grass was heavy with dew. The cherry trees gleamed like fresh snow. And all at once it was there: a voice, a remote, forgotten, buried voice; a remote, forgotten, buried face; something within lacerated, something breathless, something endlessly far, unthinkably weary, heavy, sorrowful—she had ceased to think of it; now it stood up and was mightier than it had even been in life; all at once very dear, lost, and yet never possessed—Gerhard Jäger.
*
For the first time Annette heard now what the war had really been; for the first time she realized of what Gerhard had spoken to her the night before his departure; for the first time she understood what it was that he had desired of her—a resting place, a haven, a little fire of love in the midst of so much hate; one spark of humanity in the midst of annihilation; warmth, trust, a ground to stand on; the earth, a homeland, a bridge whereby to come back again
*
The stars sparkled, and I have never seen the heavens so vast as over that plain. The ghostly light of the Milky Way streamed over us like the smoke of a giant ship that has disappeared over the horizon.
*
The snowflakes ticked against the window like an invisible clock; doors kept opening and closing; death tiptoed about the house; fever crept out of the corners; and sleep would not come.
*
I knew once more that beyond and above war and destruction there was something else, and that it would return again.
A field under the evening sun, the blue shadows of a wood, the rustle of a poplar, the clear flood of running waters, were then a joy beyond naming; but deep down in it, like a whip, like a thorn, lay the sharp pain of the knowledge that in a few hours, in a few days, all this must be left behind, changed once more for the seared landscapes of death. And this feeling, so strangely compounded out of happiness, pain, melancholy, grief, desire and hopelessness, was the common experience of a soldier out resting.
*
But here in the factory yard I saw only men like ourselves. And for the first time I understood that it was against men I was fighting; men, bewitched like ourselves by strong words and weapons; men, who had wives, children, parents and callings, and who, perhaps—if the suggestion had come to me from them—must even now be awakening also and looking about them in just the same way and asking: “Brothers, what is it we are doing here? What is all this?”
*
No man can say exactly when it begins: but suddenly the smooth, gently rounded lines of the horizon alter; the red and brown, the bright burning colors of the leaves of the forest take on all at once a queer tone, the fields fade and wither to ocher tints; something strange, still, pallid is in the landscape, and one is at a loss to explain it.
*
There is no silence like this one in the world, for this silence is a stupendous, petrified cry. There is nothing in it of the quiet of the graveyard; for there among the many weary, spent lives sleeps little that was ardent and young; but here for hundreds of thousands that great power standing in their eyes, the force that let them breathe, and see, and duck, and fight, was suddenly shivered to atoms: here in the convulsion of tensest self-defense Life was coveted, cherished, believed in, more passionately, more wildly, more fervently, more madly than ever; and in upon this distraught, straining will, this boiling whirlpool of activity, torment, hope, fear, greed of life, burst the hail of splinters and bullets. Then the toughest, frailest thing there is, Life, poured out its blood, and the great darkness came down upon eight hundred thousand men.
Above these fields the lost years seem to stand, the years that have not been fulfilled—the call of the unlived life, that finds no rest—the cry of youth quenched too soon, in full career come to its end. Surely at night they burst up from the earth like ghostly blue fire.
*
She stood before the house that had been her home. She ran down the garden. Her excitement grew. The moon was shining and the roofs glistened. There was a smell of spring in the air and she had a sense of something near, of something about to begin—already it was rising up over the horizon, it was coming, seeking to be remembered, seeking a name.
She went out across the meadows. The grass was heavy with dew. The cherry trees gleamed like fresh snow. And all at once it was there: a voice, a remote, forgotten, buried voice; a remote, forgotten, buried face; something within lacerated, something breathless, something endlessly far, unthinkably weary, heavy, sorrowful—she had ceased to think of it; now it stood up and was mightier than it had even been in life; all at once very dear, lost, and yet never possessed—Gerhard Jäger.
*
For the first time Annette heard now what the war had really been; for the first time she realized of what Gerhard had spoken to her the night before his departure; for the first time she understood what it was that he had desired of her—a resting place, a haven, a little fire of love in the midst of so much hate; one spark of humanity in the midst of annihilation; warmth, trust, a ground to stand on; the earth, a homeland, a bridge whereby to come back again
*
The stars sparkled, and I have never seen the heavens so vast as over that plain. The ghostly light of the Milky Way streamed over us like the smoke of a giant ship that has disappeared over the horizon.
*
The snowflakes ticked against the window like an invisible clock; doors kept opening and closing; death tiptoed about the house; fever crept out of the corners; and sleep would not come.
*
I knew once more that beyond and above war and destruction there was something else, and that it would return again.
July 10, 2018
The Eight Stories
themselves were originally written by Erich Maria Remarque between the two world wars, if I'm not mistaken, and published in American magazines (literary journals?) I am a big fan of Remarque, so of course I was going to grab at this review copy. I absolutely enjoyed the stories themselves, but I didn't like the quite lengthy introductory bit with all the history and background of the stories. But you are right in saying that one can just skip this part if they don't want to be bogged down with it. The stories themselves are as relevant as they were when they were written, even if it is nearly 100 years later.
Talk of PTSD, war atrocities and the fake glory of punishing your enemy are very relevant today in the political atmosphere we have now.
We are losing the last people who still remembered how actually ugly the war is and that there is ultimately no winning side, and that's why people are starting to buy into the illusion that war is not that bad – I believe that in light of that, literature like Erich Maria Remarque's stories should be given even more attention.
I thank the publisher for giving me a free copy in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.
Read Post On My Blog | My Bookstagram | Bookish Twitter
I thank the publisher for giving me a free copy in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.
Read Post On My Blog | My Bookstagram | Bookish Twitter
July 5, 2018
Remarque’s reputation rests mainly on his WWI novel All Quiet on the Western Front, but as this wonderfully compelling collection demonstrates he was certainly not a one-trick pony. An illuminating introduction to this volume is essential reading for anyone new to Remarque's writing and equally helpful to those who have read him before. The stories all deal with Remarque's main concern – the appalling damage war does to men’s bodies and minds, the psychological toll of warfare and the impossibility of ever coming to terms with it. As relevant today as to the time they are set in, I found the collection engaging and moving.
April 19, 2018
So sad, 100 years since the War To End All Wars, and how many wars have there been since? Each worse than the last. Remarque's stories are proof enough that war needs to end. Too many shattered lives (not that leaders care...). Poignant stories.
I received a Kindle Arc from Netgalley in exchange for a fair review.
I received a Kindle Arc from Netgalley in exchange for a fair review.
September 1, 2020
I’ve always been amazed by Remarque’s ability to evoke the most profound emotions by means of the simplest (or so it seems), everyday scenes. “Eight Stories” is no exception. Each one is short and yet so brilliantly vivid and deep, you’ll be processing them for a long time after the last page is turned. Initially written for a literary magazine, this collection is Remarque’s look back at the war and its aftermath. Through his imaginative, haunting prose, he brings to attention such issues as shell shock (or PTSD as we know it now) and its longterm effects, different coping mechanisms, love and war, healing and dying, and the seemingly impossible reconciliation of one’s civilian self and the soldier that shall forever live inside the veteran. As it always is with Remarque’s writing, the message is thoroughly pacifist and melancholic. Instead of glorifying the feats of the heroes, he speaks of the tragedies of the war, of the wrecked lives and destinies, of the unnecessary sacrifices any conflict imposes on us. The unifying message that echoes through all eight stories is the one of brotherhood and humanity:
“But in that August evening I learned the baleful secret, the magic of weapons. Weapons transfigure men. And these harmless fellows, these factory hands, schoolboys now sitting around so quiet and resigned, had they but weapons, on the instant would turn once again into enemies… the idea dawned on me that it was weapons that had forced the war on us. There were so many weapons in the world that in the end they got the upper hand over men and turned them into enemies…”
An absolutely brilliantly written must-read.
“But in that August evening I learned the baleful secret, the magic of weapons. Weapons transfigure men. And these harmless fellows, these factory hands, schoolboys now sitting around so quiet and resigned, had they but weapons, on the instant would turn once again into enemies… the idea dawned on me that it was weapons that had forced the war on us. There were so many weapons in the world that in the end they got the upper hand over men and turned them into enemies…”
An absolutely brilliantly written must-read.
November 26, 2025
Shorts on war and its aftermath: fraternizing across lines, shell shock, revisiting battlefields, bereavement, etc.
November 23, 2019
Eight Stories demonstrates the master lines of Erich Maria Remarque, though perhaps not as powerful as his wonderful novel, All Quiet on the Wesrtern Front. These stories tell of the impact war has on those who have lived through them, soldiers, civilians. And survivors. Remarque write in and lean and almost stark style that contributes to the impact each story carries. Each one moves the reader to think about war in general, to abandon any romantic notions of it, and to understand that the war may comes to an end, but for those who fight in Wars, they will never be truly over.
In story after story, the author powerfully portrays the psychological scars that will never heal, that will never let up, evoking both melancholy and even pain in the reader.
It is a good collection quickly read due to its sparse, straightforward style. It does not just tell stories, it conveys emotions. It leaves readers changed.
In story after story, the author powerfully portrays the psychological scars that will never heal, that will never let up, evoking both melancholy and even pain in the reader.
It is a good collection quickly read due to its sparse, straightforward style. It does not just tell stories, it conveys emotions. It leaves readers changed.
March 5, 2018
*I received this book as free copy from NetGalley*
I requested this book because in 2016 I read (and loved) Remarque's mos well known novel All Quiet on the Western Front. This is a collection of short stories dealing with war and its consequences. The collection has a very interesting and lengthy introduction that contextualizes the stories very well. The stories have the same simple but effective style that his novel and I enjoyed it a lot.
If you liked Remarque's other works this will be up your street and if you haven't I think this collection will be a very good introduction to his themes and his style.
I requested this book because in 2016 I read (and loved) Remarque's mos well known novel All Quiet on the Western Front. This is a collection of short stories dealing with war and its consequences. The collection has a very interesting and lengthy introduction that contextualizes the stories very well. The stories have the same simple but effective style that his novel and I enjoyed it a lot.
If you liked Remarque's other works this will be up your street and if you haven't I think this collection will be a very good introduction to his themes and his style.
March 14, 2020
This volume selected to assist in finding a short story for a summer literature class on writings about war. All are quite good, tender, filled with pathos. I expect we will share the one called “Josef’s Wife” or, perhaps, “I Dreamt Last Night.” Even the enemy, you know, has humanity.
February 25, 2020
RATING: 4 STARS
2018; NYU Press
I loved Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front and many of the writings of World War I soldiers (and others who has participated in the Great War). There is a raw honesty that came from that time that really gave the war realism and cut through some of the propaganda. Many of the works I have read come from Britain, France, USA and Canada. In reading Remarque, you see the other side of the war, from Germany's point of view. The biggest "aha" moment while reading the novel was the lack of differences and the pain from all sides that left men and women ravaged. In this short story collection, we see how the war affected the men fighting in the war, but also the family left behind. Each story gives another heartbreaking story. Remarque has a way of painting his characters so realistic and interesting. After each story I wanted to know more on what would happen next. Whether a soldiers comes home or not, there seems to be a big change for all. Remarque shows how difficult it is trying to fit back into a world that has changed so much. Especially in a country that had been defeated. This collection really spoke to me, and I am definitely adding more Remarque to my TBR list.
***I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher through Edelweiss/NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.***
2018; NYU Press
I loved Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front and many of the writings of World War I soldiers (and others who has participated in the Great War). There is a raw honesty that came from that time that really gave the war realism and cut through some of the propaganda. Many of the works I have read come from Britain, France, USA and Canada. In reading Remarque, you see the other side of the war, from Germany's point of view. The biggest "aha" moment while reading the novel was the lack of differences and the pain from all sides that left men and women ravaged. In this short story collection, we see how the war affected the men fighting in the war, but also the family left behind. Each story gives another heartbreaking story. Remarque has a way of painting his characters so realistic and interesting. After each story I wanted to know more on what would happen next. Whether a soldiers comes home or not, there seems to be a big change for all. Remarque shows how difficult it is trying to fit back into a world that has changed so much. Especially in a country that had been defeated. This collection really spoke to me, and I am definitely adding more Remarque to my TBR list.
***I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher through Edelweiss/NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.***
January 31, 2018
All Quiet on the Western Front is one of my favourite books, and when I spotted the forthcoming collection of eight of Erich Maria Remarque's short stories, I was most excited. This collection includes a series of melancholy tales of war, all of which are beautifully evoked, and quite touching. Just what I was expecting, and well worth a read.
April 3, 2018
*eARC Netgalley*
ATW 2018 Germany
ATW 2018 Germany
October 8, 2020
Erich Maria Remarque is best known for the masterpiece All is quiet on the Western Front. That book sold nine million copies in the US alone and has been translated into sixty languages. What is perhaps most remarkable about the book outside of its antiwar message is that it crossed national boundaries. Nations who soldiers fought the Germans now felt empathy for a German soldier. Remarque's work is better known in America than the great British war poets who were our allies. The book and the movie was not popular with the rising right-wing government of Germany. Remarque moved to Switzerland in 1934 and lost his German citizenship in 1938. From there, he moved to Los Angeles and became a fixture od the social scene and often seen with Marilyn Dietrich.
These eight stories were published in Collier's and Redbook between 1930 and 1934. The translator remains anonymous although there are ideas as to who did the translating. War is a terrible time for all involved and although peace was celebrated on November 11, 1918, the war went on for many for the rest of their lives. Remarque attempt to capture this in eight stories about German soldiers after the war. One story presents the effects of PTSD or shell shock as it was known at the time. A dramatic story that unfortunately aged well. One hundred years after World War I, we have many soldiers who still suffer from PTSD from recent conflicts. The flag waving and supporting the troops then, like now, only happens at the start of the war, not when broken bodies and minds return home. Some return home late improperly imprisoned in another country. News of their deaths arriving home many years before they do.
Memories of battles and bloodshed are remembered with the simplest pleasures. Moments away from the fighting where man appreciates the world. Moments when meeting the enemy and finding out they are the same, like us. Without weapons, the enemy is just people wanting the same things as everyone else -- to return home, peace, and family. These eight stories do for the post World War I era what All is Quiet on the Western Front did for war. Peace does not mean a return to normalcy. There is damage that has been done and has not healed. The land where the battles have been fought gradually heals back into farmland after it has been "mined" for buried metal. The men are not always so lucky. A powerful and timeless message for mankind as long as we continue to have war.
These eight stories were published in Collier's and Redbook between 1930 and 1934. The translator remains anonymous although there are ideas as to who did the translating. War is a terrible time for all involved and although peace was celebrated on November 11, 1918, the war went on for many for the rest of their lives. Remarque attempt to capture this in eight stories about German soldiers after the war. One story presents the effects of PTSD or shell shock as it was known at the time. A dramatic story that unfortunately aged well. One hundred years after World War I, we have many soldiers who still suffer from PTSD from recent conflicts. The flag waving and supporting the troops then, like now, only happens at the start of the war, not when broken bodies and minds return home. Some return home late improperly imprisoned in another country. News of their deaths arriving home many years before they do.
Memories of battles and bloodshed are remembered with the simplest pleasures. Moments away from the fighting where man appreciates the world. Moments when meeting the enemy and finding out they are the same, like us. Without weapons, the enemy is just people wanting the same things as everyone else -- to return home, peace, and family. These eight stories do for the post World War I era what All is Quiet on the Western Front did for war. Peace does not mean a return to normalcy. There is damage that has been done and has not healed. The land where the battles have been fought gradually heals back into farmland after it has been "mined" for buried metal. The men are not always so lucky. A powerful and timeless message for mankind as long as we continue to have war.
May 31, 2018
I haven’t read All Quiet on the Western Front. These eight short stories by Erich Maria Remarque suggest it would be a good book to read.
Veterans return from war in emotional distress, physically and socially impaired, and psychologically ill-equipped to manage life.
Remarque has empathy for the enemy. They are men like themselves, bewitched by the strong words of their leaders.
“Josef’s Wife” is haunting, yet ends on a bright note. Josef comes home with amnesia and a strong case of post traumatic stress disorder. His wife stays with him, eventually taking him back to the battlefield, where he regains memories and can function again.
“The Strange Fate of Johann Bartok” is sad. A group of German POWs take over a ship, but are then recaptured. Johann is kept as slave labor for 15 years. By the time he returns home, his wife, believing him dead, has remarried.
Metal scavengers often meet death or cruel injury when unexploded ordinance explodes. The narrator of “Silence” believes they are also violating the dead who remain buried on the battlefields.
These are quick to read, and offer a glimpse of the horror that took place a hundred years ago.
I received a free copy for my honest opinion.
September 28, 2024
4.5 to a 5. The introductory chapter seemed to run a bit long. That being said:
I have loved every one of Remarque's works, whether novel or short story, He has a way with words, painting reality with vivid descriptions and gut-wrenching honesty that somehow still comes out in sensitivity and beauty. Happy endings? No. But even if Remarque himself renounced his German identity, his stories retain that element so typical of German literature.
Yes, the introduction is rather long. On the other hand, it allows the reader/listener to get to know a little more about Remarque as a person, and some background on each of the eight stories. If a listener wanted to skip past that, they easily could, but might miss some of the depth of the stories.
Published in Colliers Magazine in the 1930s, the stories themselves are short and worth listening to a second time. Feel the experience and suffering of the survivors of the first world war and those who loved them. Understand a conflict from the perspective of those who, at the time, were considered "the enemy." Many of the sufferings described were common on both sides of No Man's Land.
I have loved every one of Remarque's works, whether novel or short story, He has a way with words, painting reality with vivid descriptions and gut-wrenching honesty that somehow still comes out in sensitivity and beauty. Happy endings? No. But even if Remarque himself renounced his German identity, his stories retain that element so typical of German literature.
Yes, the introduction is rather long. On the other hand, it allows the reader/listener to get to know a little more about Remarque as a person, and some background on each of the eight stories. If a listener wanted to skip past that, they easily could, but might miss some of the depth of the stories.
Published in Colliers Magazine in the 1930s, the stories themselves are short and worth listening to a second time. Feel the experience and suffering of the survivors of the first world war and those who loved them. Understand a conflict from the perspective of those who, at the time, were considered "the enemy." Many of the sufferings described were common on both sides of No Man's Land.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 10, 2018
When I read All Quiet on the Western Front, I found it so powerful I gave it 5 stars. Strangely, I wasn't aware Erich Maria Remarque had written anything else, when he was actually quite a prolific writer! When I saw this one on NetGalley, I had to request it.
It's a very short book at 192 pages, especially since the first third of the book is an interesting introduction about Remarque and his writing, but, like All Quiet, all eight stories go right to your heart. All the stories are linked to WW1, either taking place during the war or after it, and show the mental, physical or spiritual suffering of the soldiers and their loved ones. It is incredibly sad, the writing is beautiful, and Remarque manages to say so much with very few words. A recommended read!
Note - thanks to NetGalley and NYU Press for a free digital copy in exchange for an honest review.
It's a very short book at 192 pages, especially since the first third of the book is an interesting introduction about Remarque and his writing, but, like All Quiet, all eight stories go right to your heart. All the stories are linked to WW1, either taking place during the war or after it, and show the mental, physical or spiritual suffering of the soldiers and their loved ones. It is incredibly sad, the writing is beautiful, and Remarque manages to say so much with very few words. A recommended read!
Note - thanks to NetGalley and NYU Press for a free digital copy in exchange for an honest review.
February 7, 2018
I was very excited when I saw that this book was available on Netgalley, as Remarque has been one of my favorite authors since I borrowed a copy of All Quiet on the Western Front from my high school English teacher.
This small collection certainly did not disappoint. It offers small bites of what Remarque delves into deeper in his novels. The reader is introduced to the "lost generation," whose lives have been forever changed by their experiences in the "Great War." Themes of loss abound: loss of family, loss of sanity, and loss of life. Remarque delves into how the war shaped the lives of both men and women, even years after the guns had fallen silent.
My one complaint is about the introduction which, although somewhat enlightening, takes up a full quarter of the book.
All in all, it is a quite enjoyable, but short, book that will hopefully inspire modern readers to revisit Remarque's superb works.
This small collection certainly did not disappoint. It offers small bites of what Remarque delves into deeper in his novels. The reader is introduced to the "lost generation," whose lives have been forever changed by their experiences in the "Great War." Themes of loss abound: loss of family, loss of sanity, and loss of life. Remarque delves into how the war shaped the lives of both men and women, even years after the guns had fallen silent.
My one complaint is about the introduction which, although somewhat enlightening, takes up a full quarter of the book.
All in all, it is a quite enjoyable, but short, book that will hopefully inspire modern readers to revisit Remarque's superb works.
July 23, 2023
The brutalest scenes are best; but this collection of wartime vignettes by the author of ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT serve mostly as a dim echo of that chestnut. The best: a homeless man (a war refugee? a dazed vet?) finds himself on a chain gang having to fight with the bully of the bunch. The irruption of Cormac McCarthy-like cosmic philosophizing at the conclusion feels entirely earned.
March 22, 2025
Okay, to remain true to my personal rating system, three stars is a compromise. Are these stories heartfelt and beautifully written? Why yes. 5 stars. Did I enjoy reading them, being about German soldiers after WW1 and how it destroyed their lives even though they survived, which was extremely sad and depressing? Why no, not really. So 1 star for the reading experience.
June 10, 2018
Beautiful prose and heart-rendering loss. I've read all of Remarque's novels, but this was the first I've heard about these short stories published in the 1930s. It's amazing how powerful these short works are.
December 17, 2019
Eloquently written, but not all of the stories were memorable. My favorite was probably the story titled “Annette’s Love Story”.
April 28, 2021
Moving and starkly written stories about, and against, war, complex in structure and spanning decades. An essential read for short fiction lovers.
July 19, 2022
Outstanding stories.
August 6, 2022
The introduction alone was really on point; it was about who is Remarque and his huge influence in the past century
And the 8 stories are (as all his other works) deeply touching
4🌟
And the 8 stories are (as all his other works) deeply touching
4🌟
May 28, 2024
3.5 stars
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August 19, 2025Simple to read and the stories get better and better.
Each story has a unique angle on war but my favorites were 6 and 7.
Each story has a unique angle on war but my favorites were 6 and 7.
August 23, 2024
With some writers, it’s hard to separate the biography from the work. In Eight Stories: Tales of War and Loss, by Erich Maria Remarque, the brief stories and vignettes read almost like therapy. Almost all of them are set after World War I and feature German ex-soldiers. Each of them takes a different look at what life is like for those soldiers, from the deeply traumatized to the philosophical to the betrayed. This cross-section offers a glimpse at what men might have felt after losing a terrible conflict, in the years before Nazism took hold...
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley, for review consideration.
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley, for review consideration.
July 6, 2019
Most of us know Remarque as the author of All Quiet on the Western Front, a powerful anti-war novel of the World War I. These stories explore similar territory, but provide a breadth of characters and situations not available in the novel. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in the literature of war.
June 15, 2018
Like most other readers commenting about this book, I was not aware Remarque had written anything significant beyond "All Quiet on the Western Front." This book of eight short stories he wrote in the 1930s, then, was a revelation. All of them are interesting, several of them are powerful and moving. They concern the Great War and its immediate aftermath, and the men at the heart of the stories are German or Austro-Hungarian, coping not only with losing the war, but with losing a part of their humanity. That, after all, is Remarque's great theme: that war, no matter how valorous it is conducted, dehumanizes all of us.
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