After the success of his novel Im Westen nichts Neues [All Quiet on the Western Front, 1929], Erich Maria Remarque wrote Der Weg zurück [The Road Back, 1931]. On the one hand he disappointed his readers who had expected him to write another war novel, on the other he delivered a sequel to his previous novel, even using some of the same characters. He set out to prove that his preface to Im Westen nichts Neues had prevailed. There he declared his intention to report about a generation which was destroyed by the war even if some had escaped its grenades.
The book is subdivided into an Eingang [Prologue], seven Parts, which are subdivided into chapters, and an Ausgang [Epilogue]. The Prologue describes the final days of the war at the western front in the...
1568 words
Citation: Wagener, Hans. "Der Weg zurück". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 14 October 2008 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=19772, accessed 09 June 2026.]
