{"product_id":"outside-verdun-9781908754523","title":"Outside Verdun","description":"\u003cp\u003eA new translation of a forgotten masterpiece of German World War I literature  based on the authors own first-hand experiences of combat The war  an operation instigated by men  still felt to him like a storm decreed by fate  an unleashing of powerful elements  unaccountable and beyond criticism. Arnold Zweigs novel was first published in 1933 and is based on his own experiences in the German army during World War I. Following the unlawful killing of his younger brother by his own superiors  Lieutenant Kroysing swears revenge  using his influence to arrange for his brothers unit  normally safely behind the lines  to be reassigned to the fortress at Douaument  in the very heart of the battle for France. Bertin  a lowly but educated Jewish sapper through whose eyes the story unfolds  is the innocent man caught in the cross-fire. The book not only explores the heart-breaking tragedy of one individual trapped in a nightmare of industrialized warfare but also reveals the iniquities of German society in microcosm  with all its injustice  brutality  anti-Semitism  and incompetence. A brilliant translation captures all the subtleties  cadences  and detachment of Zweigs masterful prose.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67929910116405,"sku":"ByrdShop_1908754524","price":246.79,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9781908754523.jpg?v=1794200917","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/outside-verdun-9781908754523","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}