Summary of Mars in Aries
“Mars in Aries” is a love story and a war novel set against the backdrop of the 1939 invasion of Poland by Nazi-Germany. The protagonist, Count Wallmoden, an Austrian lieutenant of the reserve force, falls in love with Baroness Pistohlkors, a member of the Austrian resistance against the Nazis. He is mobilised and sent to the east for what he believes is a military exercise but turns out to be the full-scale invasion of Poland. On the frontlines, Wallmoden portrays the progress of his unit through the Polish countryside in dreamlike hallucinatory descriptions.
Reasons to read Mars in AriesÂ
“Mars in Aries” is a compelling and fascinating novel, primarily due to its first-hand descriptions of the invasion of Poland by a member of the German army, capturing scenes of burning villages and long lines of refugees. At its core, the novel explores themes of fate and destiny. “Mars in Aries” was written by Austrian novelist and poet Alexander Lernet-Holenia during the winter of 1939-’40, when he participated in the invasion of Poland. The novel is sometimes referred to as an Austrian resistance novel. However, its critique of the Nazis is rather subtle and ambiguous. The book was banned by the Nazis, mainly because it lacked German heroism.
Setting: Jabłonka, Hrubieszów, Janówka (Poland) & Vienna (Austria)
Original title: Mars im Widder
Year of publication: 1941
Nr of pages: 194
