Erich Maria Remarque, born Erich Paul Remark on June 22, 1898, was a German-born American novelist whose milestone work, All Quiet on the Western Front (1928), based on his experiences in the Imperial German Army during World War I, emerged as an international bestseller. This seminal novel, which created a new literary genre of veterans writing about conflict, has been adapted into film several times. Remarque's candid anti-war themes provoked the ire of Nazi propaganda, leading to his denunciation as "unpatriotic" by Joseph Goebbels.

His literary success provided him the means to relocate to Switzerland and the United States, where he became a naturalized citizen. Erich Maria Remarque's other notable works include The Road Back (1931), Three Comrades (1936, 38), Arch of Triumph (1945), The Black Obelisk (1956), amongst others. His writing, deeply influenced by his experiences of war and exile, offers a profound commentary on the havoc and suffering wars cause, conveyed through a style marked by stark realism and compassionate insight.