Disillusioned by the horrors of the Great War, and disaffected with the path the USA was taking in the 1920s, some American writers renounced American policies and lifestyles. Included among this Lost Generation, were F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway and John Dos Passos.

Ernest Hemingway went to fight in the Great War at age 18. Disqualified for active duty due to poor vision, he joined the American Field Service ambulance corps in France and was later transferred to Italy where he was wounded. A Farewell to Arms is a fictionalized account of his experiences during the Italian campaign of WWI.