The Conscript & Waterloo

While other novelists center attention on the heroism and adventures of the Napoleonic era, Erkmann and Chatrian describe the ugly side of wars, directing our attention to the exhaustion and suffering of simple, peaceful people forced to sustain the well-being of the army. The mood of both stories is reflected in the opening words of "Waterloo:" "Everybody was tired of living like a bird on a bran...