Description

Obeliscul negru follows a young man who seeks love after war. Erich Maria Remarque sets the novel in Germany. It takes place in spring 1923, after World War I. The country struggles, and prices soar. Money loses so much value that people line walls with banknotes.

Ludwig Bodmer works for Heinrich Kroll & Sons, a gravestone firm. War has taken much of his youth. A small group of bohemian friends briefly eases his doubts. Their lives centre on three places: the Walhalla hotel, Rote Mühle nightclub and Blume tavern. Each still shows signs of past wealth as hardship grows.

Ludwig meets a troubled young woman named Isabelle. He hopes their bond will bring love and help him heal. He also seeks meaning in the war’s horrors. Those around him already seem keen to forget them. The novel explores this loss of memory and faith in peace. Remarque looks back at hopes for a fairer, kinder world. These include hopes that people will accept those unlike themselves.

Remarque drew on his own life in war. He was born in Osnabrück in 1898. He joined the German army while he studied in Münster. He fought in World War I and suffered five wounds. He later taught, worked with stone and wrote about sports. His writing brought him world fame, but the Nazis turned against him. He left Germany for Switzerland, then went to America. He died in Locarno in 1970. His wife, actress Paulette Goddard, was by his side.

Sanda Munteanu translated this edition from German. The novel also has two screen versions. Krzysztof Lang and Peter Deutsch directed them.