Evening star., 1946-01-13
Among the Authors
Providence Kept Watch Over Remorque
And Brouqht Him Luck All Durinq War

teacher, a test driver, a sports
writer, even a dramtic critic. He
lived by these varied means for 10
years, and eventually his thoughts
about why the young men of his age
were SO different from their parents
resolved themselves into a story.
He had already acquired the art of
writing at great speed and carefully
pruning his copy. The result was
that he wrote his first book, "All
Quiet on the Western Front" in six
weeks.
He did not think of it as a war
story. The first publisher in Ger
many who saw it said it was good,
but that there is no business" in it.
Its eventual business" in Germany
alone was about 100000 copies,
and perhaps 100000 or 5000 900
copies in around 80 other countries
where it had been printed. Its
great success made Remarque self
conscious, so that he believes he
oVerWrote in the next book.
His Formula for Good Writing.
You either do that after a big
success or else your head is turned
SO that you are sloppy" he ex-
planned.
"A bad book doesn't matter" he
continued, because an author who
only wrote good books would be a
freak. The idea is to write better
books as often as possible and to
edit ones writing with care, to not
be sloppy writer"
| He spends as much or more time
with Americans than with his own
countrymen, believing that only in
that way can be come to know the
United States. He thinks there are
many more good writer's here than
in Europe. Here people have to
know what they are writing about,
In Europe too many begin to write
the minute they are through study
ing or else write in an atmosphere
of cafe thinking, in either case
without experience, even though
equipped with intelligence and
writing facility. But in the United
states II you write about a banker,
Tor instance, the character must
be sufficiently like bankers to re-
mind the reader of some banker
ne knows. Not so in Europe. There
the banker may turn out to lust
De an odd sort of fellow serving
the writer's purpose of telling a
story and not real at all.
Speaking of German writer's, Re-
marque laughed heartily over the
eminent playwright Gerhart Haupt-
mann, whom he greatly admires.
He has been celebrating his
birthday for 40 years. you know" he
told me.
Birthdays to Order.
1t seems that many champagne
parties were given for Hauptmann
when he was so at week-long pro-
auctions OF his plays in various
places. BY the time every one had
honored him with their celebrations
he had another birthday, and then
another, and so it has gone on for
all the years since. He is now in his
Dos.
| 1 asked Mr.. Remarque if he wasn't
sldu 10 De one person coming here
at the beginning of the war who had
expressed his views so early that
the whole world knew where he
stood. He agreed that the circum-
stance was fortunate.
THE Arch of Triumph" was ex-
;; pected to be fall book. When the
.. Book f-the-Month Club wanted it
: for February distribution, the novel
was delayed until the third week in
January It's sale will probably be
!, well over half million its first
week out, and that only the begin
> ming.
:, Remarque is "an quiet" himself.
He is husky man with well-mod-
eled features, blue eyes and a soft
!, voice. I found him easy company
a relaxed and knowing converse
tionalist. I also think he makes
excellent coffee.