Kaiserove kulije: roman njemačke ratne mornarice

Theodor Plievier (1892–1955), a German writer of leftist convictions, is known for his documentary war novels (Stalingrad, Moscow, Berlin). The Kaiser's Coolies is his first and one of his most successful novels, published in 1930.

The work is a strong anti-militarist indictment of World War I and the German Imperial Army. Plievier, who himself served in the navy (among others on the SMS Wolf), realistically and documentaryally depicts the everyday life of ordinary sailors – the "coolies" (coolies, slaves) of Kaiser Wilhelm. They live in miserable conditions, under constant terror from the officer caste, meaningless exercises and the fear of death at sea.

The novel follows life on warships, naval battles (especially the Skagerrak in 1916), everyday suffering and the gradual awakening of resistance. The climax is the sailors' mutiny in 1917, which resulted in the execution of two sailors - the novel is dedicated to them. Plievier mixes autobiographical elements with extensive historical research, creating a documentary style that he later perfected in the trilogy about the Second World War.

The work quickly gained international success and was called the "Remarque of the Fleet" because of its strong pacifist message. The Nazis banned it in 1933, and stripped the author of his citizenship. The style is direct, harsh and realistic - without pathos, but with deep compassion for the common man. It criticizes militarism, class inequality in the army and the senselessness of war waged in the interests of the elite.

In Croatian literary reception, the novel was a popular interwar title that gave readers an insight into the horrors of the First World War from the perspective of an ordinary soldier. Today it is read as a classic anti-militaristic work and an important example of a 20th-century documentary novel.