War writing played a key role in shaping German political and cultural self-understanding in the years 1918-33, yet the importance of German First World War literature has been overlooked in the English-speaking world. Nicholas Martin`s overview emphasises the distinctive qualities of German literary responses to the First World War. It covers three central aspects of war writing in the German the literary reconstruction of war experience; the creation and manipulation of cultural memory through literature; and the political significance of war narratives.