Jakob Wasserman

Although now largely forgotten, Bavarian-born Jakob Wasserman was one of the most widely read European novelists of the first third of the twentieth century. His work frequently addressed Jewish themes, especially the failure of German and Austrian Jews to earn the unqualified respect of their neighbors, and he was always bitter that his novels were more respected in France, Britain, and the United States than they were in his native country. Although a champion of social justice, he often unthinkingly incorporated stereotypes of Jews in his writing, especially in his memoir.