The Lost Generation||F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Erich Maria Remarque

Classic books are one of the greatest books ever. They are the ones which hides the biggest amount of truths about life, from these kind of books we can learn so much, especially about what is truly valuable in our lives. Sadly, not every reader can take lesson from these books. However, I'm the one to whom classic books had a huge impact. Some of my favorites are written by authors who are the part of The Lost Generation.

The term was coined by Gertrude Stein and it describes generation that came of age during World War I. The Lost Generation was a group of writers and artists, including many expatriates, who helped define a larger, modernist movement after World War I. People of this generation are viewed, as a result of their war experiences, as cynical, disillusioned, and without cultural or emotional stability.

Writers of this generation put their experiences, thoughts and feelings into a wonderful books.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald was an American writer, whose works have been seen as evocative of the Jazz Age, a term he himself allegedly coined. He is regarded as one of the greatest twentieth century writers. He finished four novels, left a fifth unfinished, and wrote dozens of short stories that treat themes of youth, despair, and age. 






The Great Gatsby is a novel told by Yale graduate Nick Carraway. It follows a cast of characters living in the fictional town of West Egg on Long Island. The story concerns the young and mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby and his passion and obsession for the beautiful Daisy Buchanan.
The Great Gatsby explores themes of decadence, idealism, resistance to change, social upheaval, and excess.

This story taught me that we can't change our past or bring it back. What's done is done. We must try to create better future and not to think about what can be changed in the past. 
Gatsby throws huge parties hoping that maybe one day Daisy, the girl which he was seeing couple of years ago, will appear in one of them. However, Gatsby doesn't understand that over some time Daisy created new life and found new love. Gatsby's apathy to real life causes a tragic ending of his life.

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway


Ernest Miller Hemingway was an American author and journalist. He had a strong influence on 20th-century fiction, his life of adventure and his public image influenced later generations. He published seven novels, six short story collections and two non-fiction works. Many of these are considered classics of American literature.

The Old Man and the Sea is a short novel that tells the story of Santiago, an aging Cuban fisherman who struggles with a giant marlin far out in the Gulf Stream off the coast of Florida. 

The main thing that I've learned from this novel is that you must never give up on your dreams and you shouldn't listen to other people opinion. 
At the very beginning of the story Santiago is on 84th day without catching a fish. Because of that people start being mean to him. However, next day man decides to try again and he catches huge marlin. He fights with the fish for three days until he finally is able to pull the fish out. On the way home he is attacked by sharks, which devour almost the whole fish, and Santiago is left only with the skeleton. However, when he comes home, people are suprised with how big the fish was and they apologise for not believing in him.
The novel shows that no one can stop us from making our dreams come true.

The Black Obelisk by Erich Maria Remarque

Erich Maria Remarque is one of the best known and most widely read authors of German literature in the twentieth century. Remarque's biography is essentially marked and his writing fundamentally influenced by German history of the twentieth century. Remarque's novels have been translated in more than fifty languages.

 






The Black Obelisk is about a young veteran from the First World War, Ludwig who works for a monument company. Though ambivalent about his job, he suspects there’s more to life than earning a living off other people’s misfortunes.

At first this story seemed extremely boring and slow moving, but the more I read the more I realised how good the book was. 
First of all, the story marks a period of hyperinflation, so once again it made me realise  that money means nothing in our lifes, they are very unstable.
Secondly, Ludwig finds himself falling in love with Isabelle, a girl suffering from schizophrenia. Their romance never quite blends with the main story.It shows that people frequently try to find love in places where it can't be found and usually it affect their lifes in a very negative way.
Finally, the protagonist works in a monument company and it shows us that eventually, no matter who we are, we are all going to end up our lives in grave.

The Lost Generation was a group of writers and artists, including many expatriates, who helped define a larger, modernist movement after World War I.

Source: Boundless. “The Lost Generation.” Boundless U.S. History Boundless, 05 Dec. 2016. Retrieved 18 Feb. 2017 from https://www.boundless.com/u-s-history/textbooks/boundless-u-s-history-textbook/the-roaring-twenties-1920-1929-24/the-roaring-twenties-186/the-lost-generation-1027-4785/

The Lost Generation was a group of writers and artists, including many expatriates, who helped define a larger, modernist movement after World War I.

Source: Boundless. “The Lost Generation.” Boundless U.S. History Boundless, 05 Dec. 2016. Retrieved 18 Feb. 2017 from https://www.boundless.com/u-s-history/textbooks/boundless-u-s-history-textbook/the-roaring-twenties-1920-1929-24/the-roaring-twenties-186/the-lost-generation-1027-4785/

The Lost Generation was a group of writers and artists, including many expatriates, who helped define a larger, modernist movement after World War I.

Source: Boundless. “The Lost Generation.” Boundless U.S. History Boundless, 05 Dec. 2016. Retrieved 18 Feb. 2017 from https://www.boundless.com/u-s-history/textbooks/boundless-u-s-history-textbook/the-roaring-twenties-1920-1929-24/the-roaring-twenties-186/the-lost-generation-1027-4785/