Reviews of "Nights in Lisbon" will appeal to all fans of the classic of German literature, Erich Maria Remarque. This is his penultimate novel in his creative career, which was first published in 1961. In this article we will retell the plot of this work, dwell on the history of its writing and reader reviews.
History of creation
Judging by the reviews of “Nights in Lisbon”, this was one of Remarque’s most significant works. The writer graduated in 1961, starting to publish parts in a magazine version.
A separate edition of "Night in Lisbon" by Erich Maria Remarque was first published in 1962. The novel was printed by Kipenhöyer & Witch, located in Cologne. In connection with the release of his book, the author specially arrived in Germany, even though by that time he was constantly living in Switzerland. In an interview with reporters, he clearly outlined his extremely negative attitude towards the construction of the Berlin Wall.
The reviews on The Night in Lisbon were mostly positive. The audience favorably accepted the new creation of the author. It is worth noting that Erich Maria Remarque's “Night in Lisbon” is partly an autobiographical work. The protagonist of this novel, like the author himself, turns out to be a political emigrant.
Summary
Erich Maria Remarque in “Night in Lisbon” begins the story with the storyteller wandering around the city at night hoping to find tickets for his wife and himself on the ship, which is due to sail to the United States tomorrow. Both of them are immigrants from Germany who are hiding from the Nazis. When he is almost desperate, he meets a German who offers to give him tickets for the same ship. He sets the price for this very unusual: to listen to his story, which he will tell until the morning.
Throughout the night, they move from bar to bar. The stranger claims that his name is Joseph Schwartz. He admits that this is his fictitious personality, but although the surname is not his, the name coincided with the present. To all around, he seems to be the name of the murdered Austrian, whose passport was picked up at his request.
Schwartz story
Erich Remarque's “Night in Lisbon” is essentially a confession of a stranger who presents himself as Schwartz. He was forced to leave Germany shortly after the fascist regime established itself there. He opposed Hitler and the Nazis. He was betrayed by their loyal supporter George, who was the brother of his wife named Elena.
Joseph spent some time in a concentration camp, from where he successfully managed to escape. For five years, he did not contact his wife, fearing to harm her with this meeting. However, the thirst to meet his beloved again pushed him to a rash act. He illegally crosses the border and comes to his hometown called Osnabruck. When he finds himself in it, he realizes that the city is mired in fascist propaganda.
Moreover, most Germans are completely ignorant, not suspecting what is happening in reality. Foreign media are severely banned. All information they receive thanks only to propaganda materials distributed by the Nazi party.
In Osnabruck, Schwartz is afraid to call his wife right away. Instead, he first contacts his friend, who works as a doctor. He briefly brings him up to date. According to him, everything is bad around, although outwardly everyone pretends that things are brilliant.
Meeting spouses
Outside 1938. Germany concludes the Munich Pact, which gives some hope that everything will end happily. However, Hitler almost immediately breaks this promise. Instead of occupying only the Sudetenland, it occupies the territory of all of Czechoslovakia. For many, it becomes apparent that Poland will be the next victim. There is a feeling of impending war in the air.
The doctor arranges a meeting with the spouses. Elena immediately begins to reproach Schwartz for daring to leave without her, leaving alone with his hated relatives. They spend day and night together in their apartment. In the evening, Georg appears. Joseph, grabbing a clerical knife, hides in a closet. As soon as Elena’s brother leaves, the woman takes her husband to the hotel to avoid such situations in the future. She decides to run away with Schwartz, and lies to Georg as if he is going to Zurich for medical consultation so that her relatives would not be missed right away.
On the way back, Joseph again tries to illegally cross the border, but this time he is caught. He is saved only by a letter that Elena wrote allegedly on behalf of George. It helps a man convince border guards that he is a special task officer. He is released, by train he gets to Zurich.
Emigration
For some time, the couple remain in Switzerland, and from there they leave for France. They are looking for Elena, and soon Georg comes to her, who is furious when she meets Schwartz. However, in a foreign country, he is powerless. Until the Nazis came there, Georg could not do anything.
Schwartz admits to the narrator that in the full sense of the word, he and his wife remained exactly until September 1939. As soon as the Second World War began, they were arrested and sent to an internment camp. Elena was mentally prepared for this, as Joseph warned that German migrants had to eke out a miserable existence. They are interrupted by casual earnings, constantly find themselves in camps. However, now he realizes that this was a good time, since the worst French camp was many times better than the concentration camp.
The main character of the novel "Night in Lisbon" by Erich Maria Remarque manages to escape. He goes to the women's camp, where Elena is kept. He sneaks into his territory, disguised as a fitter, but he can not find out anything about his wife. Only in the evening he manages to notice her at the fence. A woman crawls under the wire, they spend the night together in the forest. Since then, every morning, she has come back, claiming that she loves him now more than ever.
This continues until the Gestapo appears in the camp. Georg finds a sister, but she manages to escape with her husband. By that time, her health was already severely undermined, she was seriously ill.
Wanderings
Spouses settle in an abandoned house that looks like a castle. They go to occupied Bordeaux, but they understand that at the moment it’s impossible to get out. While they went for reconnaissance, they left their things to the owner of the zucchini. When they return, he refuses to return them. Before suddenly appearing non-commissioned officer Elena plays the Nazi devoted to the Fuhrer. Only in this way they manage to return their belongings.
Returning to their castle, they discover that he is already occupied by German officers. Therefore, you have to go to a boarding house. Elena's health is rapidly deteriorating. She feels the disease, it begins to seem to her that her husband will be disgusted by her if she finds out about her mortal illness. Therefore, every day she comes back to the boarding house later and later.
Reprisal against Georg
All this time, Schwartz was obsessed with getting an American visa. But it turned out to be too complicated. Somehow, he still manages to find an American who is vouching for them at the consulate. Joseph is promised to resolve the issue in a week. At the exit from the consulate, the Gestapo arrests him.
He is interrogated by a young officer who scares with sadistic and sophisticated torture. At this moment, Georg appears, who himself begins to torture Schwartz to find out where Elena is. The young officer helps him, but only in order to enjoy the process itself.
Finally, Joseph gives up and agrees to indicate where George's sister is hiding. To the place they go together by car. On the way, Schwartz takes out a blade sewn into his pants, which cuts George's throat. He hides his body in the bushes, takes his passport and leaves by car. He asks a friend to fake a photograph so that he can impersonate Georg using his documents. So the emigrant becomes an Obersturmbanführer.
On the run
Schwartz talks about everything Elena. Now their goal is a Spanish visa. Joseph pays attention to how the attitude towards him is changing. The gendarme, having seen a Nazi car on the street, salutes and opens the door in front of Schwartz. The main character bitterly thinks that in reality you need to turn into a killer in order to be respected.
Near the consulate, Schwartz and his wife pick up a boy who has escaped from a concentration camp, and now wants to get to Lisbon, where his uncle lives. Joseph muses that having taken one life, he must now save one.
Emigrants all together without special incidents cross the border of Spain with Portugal, where the Nazis have not yet reached.
In lisbon
In the Portuguese capital, husband and wife are regulars in the casino. And Elena constantly wins. One night, she told Schwartz that in reality they were never destined to reach America together, which they had dreamed about for so long.
But Joseph already receives visas and buys tickets for the ship. Sailing soon. One day he goes to the store, having returned, discovers her dead. Elena drank poison from an ampoule that Schwartz himself gave her in case they were ever caught. She did not leave a note. According to the narrator, she committed suicide only because she could no longer endure the pain. In addition, she knew that Joseph was no longer in danger.
Denouement
Schwartz, instead of going to America, now decides to join a foreign legion. He remembers that young Nazi officer who tortured him in France, deciding that while such people remain, it is criminal to take their own lives, but we must strive to do everything so that there are as few as possible.
In the end, the narrator gives Schwartz money, receiving in return tickets and passports. Now he himself can go with his wife to America. But this does not bring him happiness. In the USA they get divorced, and after the war he returns to Europe.
Reader Impressions
In reviews of The Night in Lisbon, many readers admitted that the book fascinated, devastated, and discouraged them at the same time. This is a real confession, in which, as we can assume, a lot of personal from the author himself.
In reviews of The Night in Lisbon by Erich Maria Remarque, most readers rate this work as a very emotional, sincere, and deep book. The reader finds himself in the role of involuntarily eavesdropping on the conversation of two strangers who, outright, state how their fate has developed.
Most of the reviews of "Nights in Lisbon" Remarque always advises reading the novel. Without it, it will be impossible to understand to the end of this author. After reading the book, you can leave your review about "Nights in Lisbon".