Crni obelisk

Erich Maria Remarque's novel is set in Germany in the early 1920s, during a period of hyperinflation and social instability after World War I. The main character, Ludwig Bodmer, works in a stonemason's workshop selling tombstones – a job that symbolically reflects the spirit of the times marked by death, loss and moral decay. Ludwig tries to find meaning in life in a world that is falling apart: money is rapidly losing value, people are doing what they know how, and the lines between honesty and fraud are becoming blurred. In addition to his work, Ludwig plays the organ and conducts internal philosophical monologues about life, love and the absurdity of existence. An important role is played by Isabelle, a young woman in a psychiatric institution, with whom Ludwig develops a special relationship. Their relationship raises questions about reality and illusion, reason and madness. Isabelle often seems “crazy”, but her words sometimes reveal deeper truths than those accepted by “normal” society.