''The Dark Arena'' is the first novel by Mario Puzo, published in 1955. The book follows Walter Mosca, an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

veteran who returns to

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

for his girlfriend, Hella. The novel explores life in post-war Germany, a place where the standard currency is not the German

mark Mark may refer to: Currency * Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina * East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic * Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927 * Fi ...

, or even the U.S. dollar, but U.S.-made cigarettes.

Reception

The novel was not nearly as successful as his later works. The reviewers gave it modest acclaim, and admitted that Puzo had "solid talent."

References

External links

* 1955 American novels American crime novels Novels by Mario Puzo Novels set in Germany Random House books 1955 debut novels {{1950s-crime-novel-stub