All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque

 

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224 pages

You can buy All Quiet on the Western Front...Here

This Review is by...Owen Powell

• The Blurb...

In 1914 a room full of German schoolboys, fresh-faced and idealistic, are goaded by their schoolmaster to troop off to the 'glorious war'. With the fire and patriotism of youth they sign up. What follows is the moving story of a young 'unknown soldier' experiencing the horror and disillusionment of life in the trenches.

• My Review...

Most of the reviews I’ve read for this book state that it should be essential reading material in schools, and after reading it for myself I am inclined to agree. Although All Quiet on the Western Front is not an autobiography, Remarque has certainly drawn on his own first-hand experiences as a German soldier in The Great War to write it. The narrative of this novel, while compelling and harrowing, is not it’s main focus. This is less of a work of historical fiction and more of an exhibition of the very real atrocities of war. Although we follow the exploits of a specific soldier named Paul Baumer throughout the novel, the real main character of All Quiet on the Western Front is the war itself. 

While this book is an insightful read for most ages, I heartily recommend this book to younger people more than older people. I am twenty-three years old, and I am very glad to have read this book when I did. Honestly, I might have preferred to have read it a couple years earlier too. The lead characters in this book are a squad of young men (late teens to early twenties) and this made All Quiet on the Western Front really resonate with me.

As I read about what those soldiers did to pass the time between fighting for their lives in the trenches, I realised that me and my friends would act no different from them if we found ourselves there too. Things like betting bottles of beer on dog fights, having profound discussions about war and it’s purpose, and just playing cards to pass the time. While there is a few uplifting moments of comradery in this novel, there are plenty of excruciating and heart-wrenching moments to combat it, made all the more terrifying knowing the author was actually at it’s forefront. 

The tone in which Remarque describes the horror of war is very gritty and real. As a reader you are not spared any levity, you are told what happens and exactly how it happens in a very forthright manor. Things like the virulent effects of mustard gas, the agonising exhaustion from spending many days and nights in trenches and shell holes, and watching the life fade slowly from a dying soldier are all explained in painstaking detail. This novel is littered with many thoughtful and iconic quotes regarding war and it’s effects that really stick with the reader.

All Quiet on the Western Front has garnered an extensive reputation as being one of the greatest books on World War One ever and it’s clear to see why. It has made it’s way onto film too, first in 1930, and again in 1979. After doing some research I’ve discovered that another film adaptation of this book is coming to Netflix later this year in 2022 which I look forward to watching.  

• Selected Quotes...

“Young? None of us is more than twenty. But young? Young men? That was a long time ago. We are old now.” 

“Because one thing has become clear to me: you can cope with all the horror as long as you simply duck thinking about it – but it will kill you if you try to come to terms with it.” 

“Everything must have been fraudulent and pointless if thousands of years of civilization weren’t even able to prevent this river of blood, couldn’t stop these torture chambers existing in their hundreds of thousands. Only a military hospital can really show you what war is.” 

• If You Like This, You May Like...

Storm of Steel by Ernst Junger (Autobiographical)

The Guns of August by Barbera Tuchman (Non Fiction)

Regeneration by Pat Barker (Historical Fiction)

Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks (Historical Fiction)

Goodbye to All That by Robert Graves (Autobiographical)

• About the Author...

Remarque was drafted into the German army at the age of 18 and was wounded several times. After the war he worked as a racing-car driver and as a sportswriter while working on All Quiet on the Western Front. The novel’s events are those in the daily routine of soldiers who seem to have no past or future apart from their life in the trenches. Its title, the language of routine communiqués, is typical of its cool, terse style, which records the daily horrors of war in laconic understatement. Its casual amorality was in shocking contrast to patriotic rhetoric. The book was an immediate international success, as was the American film made from it in 1930. It was followed by a sequel, Der Weg zurück (1931; The Road Back), dealing with the collapse of Germany in 1918. Remarque wrote several other novels, most of them dealing with victims of the political upheavals of Europe during World Wars I and II. Some had popular success and were filmed (e.g., Arc de Triomphe, 1946), but none achieved the critical prestige of his first book. (From Britannica.com)

Zen & The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

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You can buy the 40th anniversary edition of 

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance........Here

The blurb...

 A philosophical odyssey into life's fundamental questions during an unforgettable summer motorcycle trip, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance transformed a generation and continues to inspire millions

One of the most influential books written in the past half-century, Robert Pirsig's Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is a powerful examination of how we live and a breathtaking meditation on how to live better. Following a father and his young son on a summer motorcycle trip across America's Northwest, it is a story of love, fear, growth, discovery and acceptance. Both personal and philosophical, it is a compelling study of relationships, values, and eventually, enlightenment – resonant with the confusions and wonders of existence.
Acclaimed as one of the most exciting books in the history of American letters, this modern epic became an instant bestseller upon publication in 1974.

‘The book is inspired, original…the analogies with Moby-Dick are patent’ New Yorker
‘Mr Pirsig has written a work of great, perhaps urgent, importance... Read this book’ Observer

My Review..

Only 47 years late to the party but Wow! where to begin with this...

Firstly it is three threads in one book

1. It is a travelogue of a man and his 12-year old son travelling from Minnesota to San Francisco via motorbike in the 60s.
2. It is story of a schizophrenic (the father) who has been purged of his alter ego (Phadreus a PhD philosophy student, who went insane contemplating the concept of Quality) by electro-shock treatment in a mental institution. The man is now free but his alter ego  gradually begins to enter his conscience again as the motorcycle journey progresses.
3. Most importantly it is a philosophical paper on our place in the grand scheme of things, how we fit into the universe and how the universe fits into us. He calls it an investigation into Quality. However: the term quality can be misleading. I think if you substitute the word Quality for Tao (Or as Douglas Adams would call it in The Hitch-hikers guide to the Galaxy, Life, the Universe and Everything) you get a much better understanding of what he is driving at.

While the first two themes are interesting in and of themselves, their main role is to serve as a break from the heavy lifting of reading deeply abstract, philosophical tracts. These tracts are indeed heavy going. I often found myself re-reading them several times just to gain a basic understanding of them, but it is worth it.

While it is not the most entertaining book that I have ever read it is probably the most fascinating. Often the question is asked "has any book changed your life?" My head is buzzing with this book. I think in years to come, for me, this will be that book. The trouble is unless you have read (and mentally digested) it is hard to explain why. It melds Western thinking with Eastern thinking. The issue of "Quality" is to big to be approached head on, it has to be approached by allegories. The main allegory being that the system of motorcycle maintenance is an allegory for life itself and as such this book is not really about motor cycles, its about the human experience and how to live our best lives, which in turn will bring a pleasant aesthetic and calmness to the world around us. 

The book builds theory on theory showing us that the motor cycle (life) is not separate from us, we are not subject and object but are intrinsically linked in a sort of constant feedback loop with everything. If we carry the proper maintenance (develop a zen approach) on the motorbike (life) in a thoughtful and precise manner we will get a fulfilment that is often sadly lacking in today's world. The words sound very clumsy as I'm writing them, I'm afraid I'm not explaining concepts well. Read the book, Persig does it beautifully, often with a lovely, lyrical style.

This edition (40th Anniversary) contained some interesting extras

• A series of fascinating letters between the author and publisher over several years. The book was famously turned down 121 times. The publisher eventually published not for profit (he thought it probable that there would be none) but because he thought it was his duty to try bring these writings to the attention of the world, which begs the question would a book like this published today.
• An afterword by the author (now deceased) that is just heartbreaking.
• Questions for discussion.

The book dissects how we live our lives and how we can live better. Dont get me wrong, this is a Marmite book (For non Brits, that means that you will either love it or hate it. There is no middle ground.) And the book has to find you at the right time of your life. I have no doubt that if I read this at 20 years of age, I would have said that he is a bit pretentious and is going to disappear up his own backside, but as you get older you become more mellow and start to think about Life, the Universe and Everything and about Quality.

Bottom line.. An amazing revelatory book

Selected Quotes...

"We're in such a hurry most of the time, we never get much chance to talk.The result is a kind of endless day to day shallowness, a monotony that leaves a person wondering years later where all the time went and sorry it's all gone"

"What's wrong with technology is that its not connected in any real way with the matters of the spirit and the heart."

"Mental reflection is so much more interesting than TV it's a shame more people don't switch over to it. They probably think what they hear is unimportant but it never is"

"Or if he takes whatever dull job he is stuck with - and they are all, sooner or later, dull- and just to keep himself amused starts to look for options of Quality and secretly pursues the options, just for their own sake, thus making art out of what he is doing, he's likely to discover that he becomes a much more interesting person and much less of an object to the people around him because his Quality decisions change him too."

"The place to improve the world is first in ones's own heart and head and hands, and the work outward from there. Other people can talk about how to expand the destiny of mankind. I just want to talk about how to fix a motorcycle. I think what I have to say has more lasting value."

“When one person suffers from a delusion, it is called insanity. When many people suffer from a delusion it is called a Religion.”

“The only Zen you find on tops of mountains is the Zen you bring there.”

About the author...

Robert M. Pirsig was the renowned author of the bestseller, ‘Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance,” a popular cult classic of the present century. As a child, he believed that there was a theory that could explain the different singularities of life and he hoped that science would be the solution to his queries and enlighten him. Contrary to his conviction, he arrived at a number of hypotheses for many given phenomenon while he was doing laboratory work at the University of Minnesota. This resulted in the deterioration of his academic performance and his subsequent dismissal from the university. He advocated the theory of ‘Metaphysics of Quality’ and through his works he explained the impact of “quality” and “good” over reality. His theory is the culmination of Western and Oriental philosophy through which he offered solutions to the crises of values in the western civilization. He also authored another famous book ‘Lila: An Inquiry into Morals’, which was nominated for the Pulitzer.

Fish Town by John Gerard Fagan

 

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You can buy Fishtown.....Here

The blurb...

"For years my life had been a string of temporary work in factories and call centres or unemployed. Approaching 30 and disillusioned with life in Glasgow, I sold everything I had and left for a new life in a remote fishing village in Japan. I knew nothing of the language or the strange new land that I would call home for the next seven years. Fish Town is an eye-opening true story that paints the reality of living in Japan as an outsider."

My Review...

I was discussing epistemology stories with an author the other day and this is a great example. Essentially a short autobiographical novella, based on  a diary format but without dates. The entries were written on a phone. I don't know whether this is a planned literary sleight of hand or just happened that way, either way it works with this content. This leads to very minimalist, writing style that packs a punch in a straightforward manner. Unlike a lot of autobiographical books there is no embellishment or purple prose.

 The narrative is stripped back to its soul, which reflects the author's experience of being a stranger, in a strange land. Not a word is wasted but you really feel the emotion behind the limited narrative.

Feeling a little lost in his native Scotland, the author sells up and decides to "go on an adventure!". He ends up as a TEFL teacher in a decaying fish-town in Japan However, unlike The Hobbit, there was no magical, thrilling escapade. The author endured, and I think endured is the correct word loneliness, isolation, mental ill health and an increasing drinking issue in a country that looks down on foreigners. You are in his shoes and it is a fascinating insight into an culture most of  us will never see. A culture that holds "respect" and "honour" in high regard but can be extremely cruel. 

Heart-breaking at times, sometimes funny, often surreal but never self pitying, you find yourself rooting for him and hoping that every turn of the page will see him turn the corner and find a place where he is happy. If you have a friend or relative who is considering moving lock, stock and barrel to a foreign culture with a foreign language, do them a huge favour and buy them this book. It is an eye opener.

 I'm not going to tell whether our hero finds a place/person where his soul is happy and content. You'll have to read it for yourself and it is very, quick, easy read well worth it, whether or not you are thinking of travelling to the land of the rising sun.

Selected quotes..

"foreign wounds don’t heal in a place like Japan they only get worse, fester, and bleed out."

"Earthquake drill....they all practised at the school with yellow helmets and hiding under the desk no helmet for the foreigner though again I was to sit in the locked staffroom"

"we went to a spa town in the mountains outside Tokyo so they could experience a traditional Japanese hotel the food was served in the room by an old woman who stared to make sure you ate it whole fish on sticks raw fish Japanese eggs octopus balls my mum tried but couldn’t eat anything but the rice and vegetables they had a hard time sleeping on the tatami floor but got a good idea of the life out there opened both their eyes to a new world to what was far beyond the outskirts of Glasgow."

About the Author...

John Gerard Fagan is a writer from Scotland who has returned home after living in Japan for the last seven years. He has interests in Japanese literature and Noir. He is a university lecturer. He is also a musicain and and artist. He painted the cover of fish town. Find his blog Here

Beyond Limits by Lowri Morgan

 

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First of all I should qualify this review with a disclaimer, both my wife and I are avid followers of Lowri Morgan's on S4C and have enjoyed all her endurance adventure specials.

 

This is truly an inspirational book, it will make want to grab your daps and head for the trails! My wife, who is a physcotherapist read this book before me and was fascinated by her thought process and emotions around the "positive" addiction of running. 

There are several tales of endurance and extreme running in this book, most notably the Amazon jungle ultra, the 6633 Ultra in the Arctic and the local Dragon's back ultra from north to south Wales along the mountainous spine of the country. 

There is the story of how she came to play rugby for Wales. 

There is extreme fatigue, busted knees, missing toe nails, hallucination, heart problems,  deprivation, separation, 30miles runs before breakfast, pain, agony, misery. There is the constant battle of mind and body. 

The body like a team of horses leading a carriage, with the mind as the carriage driver controlling, encouraging, pleading, whipping the horses ever forward, constantly and relentlessly forward. 

Sounds a bit grim? Far from it the further the struggle uphill the more magnificent the view from the top! This book is about soul soaring freedom running along sunlit mountain ranges. It's about being in the midst of outstanding nature wether it is the northern lights in the middle of nowhere in the Arctic totally on your own or  the stunning scenery of Lyn y Fan Fach. It is about that euphoric state of being connected to everything and everything connected to you. Some call it runners high some call it flow. 

After reading this book I think that this is Lowri's drug of choice and running is her means of ingestion.

She is also a TV presenter and writer and has a paired down writing style that delivers it meaning precisely  and efficiently but is always bang on. Here are few examples 

"I just don't want to be rubbish at life. I don't want to waste the opportunity I have been given to live a life full of adventure and possibility" says it all in 2 sentences. 

On having missed a checkpoint and deciding to turn around and return adding extra miles to the ultra she was running.

"Respect the integrity of my participation. It is my homage to honesty." This is beautifully written. I wish I spoke like Lowri writes.

My particular favourite line is when she talks about her running the highly self deprecating Lowri's says

" I'm an ordinary runner, running exceptional races" 

This is a hell of an inspiring book but then again Lowri Morgan is a hell of an inspiring person.

Nerves of Steele Phil Steele

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Phil Steele is a well known tv rugby personality, commentator, interviewer, and after dinner speaker through out Wales. During his younger days he juggled a new career as a Special Needs teacher with playing rugby union for Newport RFC  getting as far as the Wales B squad. However he suffered crippling nerves and suffered family tragedy. This book is all about his life. However this book isn't really about rugby, it's about depression/anxiety and mental health. It's about how he has managed to adapt to the beast and to whisper in it's ear. Phil has never beaten the beast but has managed to bridle it. It's about tragedy and overcoming tragedy. You feel his cheery character and also his darkest times. It is heartbreaking and life affirming. Hell of a book, hell of a man.