Why people recommend it
All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque is a classic anti-war novel that chronicles the harrowing experiences and profound disillusionment of young German soldiers on the front lines of World War I. The novel was referenced across several popular podcasts in diverse contexts. On The Joe Rogan Experience episode featuring Ari Matti, the guest compared cinematic depictions of historical tank warfare to scenes from the book. On Stuff You Should Know, the hosts discussed a listener's eighth-grade reading list that featured the novel alongside other major literary works. Filmmaker Steven Spielberg referenced the cinematic adaptation directed by Lewis Milestone on SmartLess, discussing how the groundbreaking moving camera techniques in the film profoundly inspired him as a director. Bill Burr mentioned reading the book on the Monday Morning Podcast, recalling it as an amazing read to counter a point about historical disinterest. Finally, Lex Fridman brought up the novel on the Lex Fridman Podcast while speaking with Andrew Huberman, noting a poignant line in the book comparing the oppressive nature of war to the scent of a skunk. Across these diverse mentions, the book remains a towering cultural touchstone representing the stark realities and psychological devastation of armed conflict.
Who recommended it
- Ari Matti Mustonen Discussed
- Lex Fridman Discussed
Ari Matti Mustonen — 1 mention
“It's basically what the scene is from all qu in the Western Front pretty pretty”
Lex Fridman — 1 mention
“remember that book um All Quiet on the Western Front by World War I there's this line in there I forget what it is about how war is like the smell of a skunk like a little bit is actually a little is slightly um there's something slightly delicious of it”
Mentioned on the show without a named speaker — 3
“But my reading teacher was also the social studies teacher, and I guess that explains why all of our reading lists included Animal Farm, Hiroshima, All Quiet on the Western Front, and you know it. The Jungle by Upton Sinclair is a powerful book.”
“Growing up, I was amazed by moving cameras, especially in Lewis Milestone's work, like in All Quiet on the Western Front or Pork Chop Hill. Those amazing shots with the camera moving to climb a hill with Gregory Peck, Woody Strode, and Robert Blake stuck with me!”
“That's not true because I read All Quiet on the Western Front, and that was amazing.”
Also mentioned in the same episodes
- Animal Farm
- Blitzed
- Can Love Last?
- Gone with the Wind
- Im Westen nichts Neues
- Jacking In To the Matrix Franchise
Other mentions (4: passing, ad reads, own books)
“Okay, because the World War I doc was really liked; I read All Quiet on the Western Front, of course, when I was in school.”
“it was completely overshadowed by Al Quiet on the Western Front which obviously got a ton of attention and was became a classic pretty instantly”
“you watched a movie you watched 1917 and All Quiet on the Western Front and you think you know what you're talking about”
“I don't think that makes me too weird because if you ever read the book "All Quiet on the Western Front" about World War I, there's a description in there about the smell of skunk at a distance being mildly pleasant, so the author of that book probably shared a similar olfactory profile to me, or I to them rather”