Lay Down Your Arms

Lay Down Your Arms!, first published in 1889, is a pioneering anti-war novel by Austrian pacifist Bertha von Suttner, who later became the first woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize. Told through the diaries of Martha Althaus, the novel chronicles the emotional and societal toll of war from a woman’s perspective. Suttner’s critique of militarism and advocacy for peace had a profound influence on public discourse and the peace movement. The novel’s moral force and passionate plea for humanity continue to resonate today.