Izabrana djela 4: Ljubi bližnjega svoga

Love Thy Neighbor is a novel by German writer Erich Maria Remarque, published in 1941. The story takes place in Europe before the outbreak of World War II, when the Nazi regime persecuted political opponents, Jews, and other undesirable groups.

The main character Ludwig Kern is a young German refugee without citizenship who constantly crosses national borders in search of safety. On this journey, he meets Ruth Holland, a girl who is also living in exile, and a strong love relationship develops between them that gives them hope in the midst of uncertainty. Josef Steiner, an experienced emigrant who uses his resourcefulness and life experience to help other refugees, also plays an important role.

The characters live without a permanent home, passports, or secure income and are constantly exposed to the risk of arrest, deportation, or forced return to the countries they fled from. Remarque describes in detail their daily struggles, humiliation, and feelings of not belonging anywhere. Despite the difficult circumstances, friendship, solidarity and mutual assistance develop among them, which shows that humanity can survive even in the most difficult times.

The novel strongly criticizes totalitarianism, the indifference of European states towards refugees and the bureaucratic system that denies people basic rights. At the same time, it celebrates love, hope and dignity as values ​​that help a person survive even when they lose their homeland, identity and security.