War is an occupation for men. But during hostilities, all people suffer, no matter what gender and age they are. German writer Ernst Jünger took part in two world wars. He expressed his impressions and reflections in books that are still relevant today.
Childhood
Social upheavals are rare. It is impossible to predict them. In the 20th century, two world wars died down. The German writer and thinker Ernst Jünger had to take part in these tragic events. The future ruler of thoughts was born on March 29, 1895 in the family of a scientist. My father had a doctorate in philosophy and was seriously engaged in chemical research. Mother worked as a seamstress at home. Due to the circumstances, the head of the family left his academic career and acquired a pharmacy.
A modest income was enough to educate two sons. When the age approached, Ernst was sent to a closed school for boys. An active and inquisitive child, Jünger learned to read early. In high school I got carried away with history and geography. When he turned fifteen, he dropped out of school and fled to Africa, where he wanted to enroll in the French Foreign Legion. It cost the father a lot of effort, using diplomatic channels, to return the disobedient offspring home. However, the adventure doesn't end there.
Ernst joined the Vandervogel youth organization, where he also brought in his younger brother. Members of the movement, dissatisfied with the existing order in the country, expressed their protest, taking walks in the German cities and villages. To prevent events of this kind, the parents suggested that the young man complete his schooling, after which they would let him go on an expedition to Kilimanjaro. But by this time the First World War had begun. The planned plans and projects had to be postponed. Jünger dropped everything and volunteered to be sent to the front.
On the warpath
From the first days of his stay in the ranks of the active army, Jünger practiced his behavior skills in clashes with the enemy. Learns to shoot, bayonet, grenade throwing. After a short period of time, the savvy soldier was sent to command courses. Here he mastered the basics of close combat tactics. Ernst returned to the war zone as a platoon leader. The officer's combat biography was literally written in blood. Throughout the war, he received a dozen wounds. Jünger was wounded twice in the head. His chest was shot and several phalanges of the fingers on his left hand were torn off.
According to discerning experts, Jünger mentally accepted and understood this war. After each, even a severe injury, he recovered very quickly, which surprised the medical staff of the hospitals. He recovered and returned to the front. The officer received his first Iron Cross award for a successful offensive operation. As a result of a timely and daring maneuver, a company of eighty bayonets under the command of Lieutenant Jünger captured more than two hundred British soldiers.
At the final stage of the war, the talented officer committed another heroic deed. At a critical moment, having received a through wound in the chest, Jünger made the only correct decision and withdrew his company from the encirclement. For this episode he was awarded the Order of the Blue Max. Impressions from the experienced events lingered in the memory and did not give rest. In the trenches of the western front, Ernst begins writing his first book, In Storms of Steel. In 1920, the author published it at his own expense.
Politics and Literature
After the end of the war, in which Germany suffered a crushing defeat, Jünger remained in the ranks of the armed forces. From under his pen, new instructions and methodological materials on the rules for the training of infantry units are coming out. In the same period, he wrote a book of his reflections, "Struggle as an Inner Experience." The twenties were the most difficult for the country. The writer is going through material difficulties and a crisis of the spirit that grips the entire nation. Jünger's work is favorably received both among the workers and among the representatives of the bourgeois class.
When the Second World War began, the famous writer was again called up under the banner of war. This time, Captain Jünger was not serving in the infantry, but was censoring letters. He spent almost the entire period of his service in Paris. Here, in 1942, the novel "Gardens and Streets" was published, in which the author reflected on the fate of the defeated capitals. The book was immediately translated into French. Local residents began to treat the writer with great respect. After the end of the war, the Americans imposed a ban on the publication of Ernest Jünger's books, which was in effect for four years.
Recognition and privacy
It is interesting to note that the ban was only valid in Germany. However, in other countries, Jünger's books were calmly translated into foreign languages and published in large editions. The writer was indifferent to his popularity. Career as such did not interest him. He strove to penetrate into the essence of the processes and phenomena taking place in society. In 1982 he was awarded the prestigious Goethe Prize, which is awarded for excellence in literary work.
Little is known about Ernst Jünger's personal life. The writer got married only once. This happened in 1926. The husband and wife raised two sons. The elder died in the war. The younger visited and supported his father until his last days. The writer died at the ninety-third year of life.
