Wilhelm von Sternburg. Remarque

Erich Maria Remarque can safely be called the chronicler of German history in the first half of the 20th century. Beginning with the book that brought him worldwide fame, he, like Émile Zola, painted a grandiose picture of the mores of his time in his novels—that not-so-distant era marked by two world wars, terror, violence, the expulsion of people from their homes, lies, and contempt for such seemingly immutable human values ​​as love and friendship. Remarque's personal life was shaped and developed in the stormy atmosphere of those years—with his admiration for feminine beauty, his craving for comfort and the paintings of old masters, and his passion for alcohol.
Renowned historian and publicist Wilhelm von Sternburg has decided to take the lead and tell us about a writer whose books sold millions of copies and were repeatedly adapted for the screen, but offered only a vague glimpse into his own life. And it was, as this biography reveals, a contradictory life: vibrant and tormented, purposeful and chaotic, idle and toilsome.
Wilhelm von Sternburg managed to combine historical essays, reflections on novels, excerpts from letters and diaries, and his own assessments of Remarque's views and actions into a biography that evokes an irresistible desire to read Remarque himself—to read his novels, short stories, plays, poems, essays, interviews, letters, and diaries. And to experience the bitterness of loneliness, the warmth of heart, and the invincibility of the human spirit.