The Black Obelisk: A Novel Remarque Erich Maria (1998)

This English-language classic novel by Erich Maria Remarque explores the troubled aftermath of the First World War in Germany. Hardened young veteran Ludwig works for a monument company, selling stone markers to the survivors of deceased loved ones. Although ambivalent about his work, he suspects that life must offer more than making a living from other people’s misfortunes. A self-professed poet, Ludwig senses a growing change in his fatherland, where inflation brings increasing brutality. When he falls in love with the beautiful but troubled Isabelle, he hopes he has found a kindred spirit who can save him and free him from his obsession with finding meaning in a war-torn world. Yet a time comes when every person must choose to live, despite the terrifying possibility that history is repeating itself. The book is presented as a classic novel from the author of All Quiet on the Western Front.