Arnold Zweig — The Case Of Sergeant Grischa

Secker 1929 Hardback, 536pp. "The Case of Sergeant Grischa is a war novel by the German writer Arnold Zweig. Its original German title is Der Streit um den Sergeanten Grischa. It is part of Zweig's hexalogy Der große Krieg der weißen Männer (The great war of white men). It was part of the so-called "war book boom" of the late 1920s, during which many veterans of the First World War turned their memories and experiences into semi-autobiographical novels. The first English edition was published in 1928. The book is a satire, focusing on the way in which innocent men are sacrificed in war, one irony being that the authorities spend more time and energy on the niceties of Grischa's case than they do on trying to save their own soldiers from their fate. Some major actors in the war are feebly disguised: General Ludendorff is "Schieffenzahn", and Field Marshal von Eichorn is "von Lychow". No DJ. No dust jacket. Yellow cloth cover; faded and worn on spine. Pages foxed. Small cut on first page. Previous owner's name inside on page one, dated 1929.". Fair.