Erich Maria Remarque

AKA:

Buni

Birth Name:

Erich Paul Remark

Birth Date:

June 22, 1898

Birth Place:

Osnabrück, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire

Death Date:

September 25, 1970

Place of Death:

St. Agnese Hospital, Locarno, Switzerland

Age:

Cause of Death:

Heart failure

Cemetery Name:

Cimitero di Ronco sopra Ascona

Claim to Fame:

Writers and Poets

Associates:

Paulette Goddard

Erich Maria Remarque was a German-born novelist best known for his stark and poignant depictions of war and its aftermath. Born on June 22, 1898, in Osnabrück, Germany, he served as a soldier in World War I, an experience that profoundly shaped his worldview and writing. His most famous work, All Quiet on the Western Front (1929), is a powerful anti-war novel that presents the harrowing experiences of German soldiers during the Great War. The book was a massive success internationally but faced backlash in Nazi Germany, where it was banned and publicly burned. Remarque fled the country in the 1930s, eventually settling in the United States, where he became a naturalized citizen. Throughout his career, he continued to explore themes of disillusionment, exile, and the human cost of war in novels such as The Road Back, Arch of Triumph, and The Black Obelisk. Remarque died on September 25, 1970, in Locarno, Switzerland.

Fun Facts

The spelling of his last name was changed to Remarque when he published All Quiet on the Western Front in honor of his French ancestors and in order to disassociate himself from his earlier novel The Dream Room (Die Traumbude). His grandfather had changed the spelling from Remarque to Remark in the 19th century. Research by Remarque’s childhood and lifelong friend Hanns-Gerd Rabe proved that Remarque had French ancestors – his great-grandfather Johann Adam Remarque, who was born in 1789, came from a French family in Aachen. This is contrary to the falsehood – perpetuated by Nazi propaganda – that his real last name was Kramer (“Remark” spelled backwards) and that he was Jewish.

After coming back from the war, the atrocities of war along with his mother’s death caused him a great deal of mental trauma and grief. In later years as a professional writer, he started using “Maria” as his middle name instead of “Paul”, to commemorate his mother

On 10 May 1933, at the initiative of the Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels, Remarque’s writing was publicly declared as “unpatriotic” and was banned in Germany. Copies were removed from all libraries and restricted from being sold or published anywhere in the country. In 1938, Remarque’s German citizenship was revoked. In 1938, he and his ex-wife (Ilse Jutta Zambona) were remarried to prevent her repatriation to Germany.

Remarque married actress Paulette Goddard in 1958.

Cemetery Information:

Final Resting Place:

Cimitero di Ronco sopra Ascona

Via Livurcio 16-66, 6622

Ronco sopra Ascona, ,

Switzerland

Europe

Grave Location:

Remarque / Goddard Wall Crypt, Level 2

Grave Location Description

As you enter the cemetery, take the first set of stairs to the first level to enjoy the stunning views of the Swiss Alps. Then take the stairs to the second level, turn left and walk to the far end of the cemetery for the final resting place of the famous author, Erich Maria Remarque.