Feuchtwanger, Lion

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La judia de Toledo

La judía de Toledo
Lion Feuchtwanger
Manufacturer: Edaf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Amante Lesbiano
La Bruja de Portobello
La catedral del mar

ASIN: 8441407975

Customer Reviews:

La judia de Toledo.......2001-03-20

La Judia de Toledo es una preciosa novela historica que relata la historia de amor entre el Rey de Castilla Alfoso VIII y una judia hija de uno de sus consejeros. El caracter impulsivo del rey y sus valores caballerescos tan apreciados en esa epoca llevaron a su reino a la ruina y a su amada a la muerte. La esposa legitima de Alfonso, Leonor, usa su astucia y su poder para tratar de retenerlo, manipula vidas y reinos como si fuera un juego de ajedrez. El relato de Feuchtwanger hace justicia a la rica influencia musulmana y judia durante los siglos XIV y XV. Las tramas politicas y las pasiones son tan intensas hace cinco siglos como lo son ahora. Los errores de lideres debiles eran tan costosos para el pueblo entonces como ahora.

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An extraordinary view of German Jews and the rise of the Nazis
SHOCKING
Eerily foretells the events to come in the Nazi era
Well-written, thought-provoking
Worth a look

The Oppermanns: A Novel
Lion Feuchtwanger
Manufacturer: Carroll & Graf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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Jew Suss
Mephisto (Penguin Twentieth Century Classics)
The Face of the Third Reich: Portraits of the Nazi Leadership
World of Yesterday
Magda Goebbels

ASIN: 0786708808

Book Description

First published in 1934 but fully imagining the future of Germany over the ensuing years, The Oppermanns tells the compelling story of a remarkable German Jewish family confronted by Hitler's rise to power. Compared to works by Voltaire and Zola on its original publication, this prescient novel strives to awaken an often unsuspecting, sometimes politically naive, or else willfully blind world to the consequences of its stance in the face of national events -- in this case, the rising tide of Nazism in 1930s Germany. The past and future meet in the saga of the Oppermanns, for three generations a family commercially well established in Berlin. In assimilated citizens like them, the emancipated Jew in Germany has become a fact. In a Berlin inhabited by troops in brown shirts, however, the Oppermanns have more to fear than an alien discomfort. For along with the swastikas and fascist salutes come discrimination, deceit, betrayal, and a tragedy that history has proved to be as true as this novel's astonishing, profoundly moving tale.

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An extraordinary view of German Jews and the rise of the Nazis.......2007-04-08

"The Oppermanns" is an extraordinary, (unfortunately) little-known novel that presents the rise of the Nazis and their first months in power through the experience of a single German Jewish family. The Oppermanns are old, established German Jews: upper-class, politically liberal, respected in progressive society, family members who are titans of industry and leading doctors. The reader views how their world closes in on them and collapses in 1932-1933.

This novel, written as the real events were transpiring, shows the incredulity of German Jews. It shows their enduring belief in the Germany of Goethe as the Germany of Hitler overtakes it. It shows their confidence in the German people to act reasonable even as the masses turn into shrill hatemongers. It shows the reluctance to emigrate, the loss of non-Jewish friends, the April boycott of Jewish shops, the Reichstag fire, the erection of concentration camps, Jewish suicides, etc. Though a bit over-the-top at times, this is an accurate depiction of what happened to the bourgeois Jews of Germany in 1933. I highly recommend it.

Unfortunately, no one has bothered to renew the translation (or typesetting) since it was first done in 1934. The translation is generally very good, but it is definitely not perfect.
-- As was common in the 1930s when discussing foreign politics, there was a tendency to overtranslate. All references to "der Führer" are rendered as "the Leader," and "Mein Kampf" becomes "My Battle." No one would translate either of these terms today. Even the Stahlhelm becomes the "the Steel Helmet Association," which is a literally correct and figuratively incorrect translation.
-- There are also some awkward translations that are off-putting for the knowledgable reader. On nearly every page "völkisch" is translated as "Nationalist," which doesn't quite convey the sense of this uniquely German word. Moreover, since there was a political party known as the "German Nationalists" (the DNVP) who were not Nazis, this is confusing. The translator also makes references to the "Agrarian Party" ("Grossagrarier" in the original). Germany did not have an Agrarian political party, so this is misleading.
-- The translator's German was excellent, but he was clearly less familiar with Anglophone Judaism, and his translated version lacks some of the Yiddishkeyt (Jewishness) of the original. "Maoz Tzur" is presented as "Moaus zur" (i.e. an old German spelling of the Hebrew phrase). Non-Jews are called "goi," not "goy" as is common in English renditions. "Chutzpah" is rendered "chutspe," and "Gojim-Naches" is translated as "goi nonsense." Although the Passover scenes are preserved and translated pretty well, the translator totally edited out a reference to Tish b'Av. Either he didn't know what it was or figured that the reader wouldn't know what it was.

Finally a small correction to other reviews. According to the original Author's Note from the first English edition (Viking Press, 1934), which is reproduced in this edition, Feuchtwanger composed the book in 1933, not 1934. The original copyright was held by Querido Verlag, Amsterdam, 1933.

But, in sum: An excellent, contemporaneous view of German Jewish life in 1933. Highly recommended.

SHOCKING.......2002-08-20

This book is outstanding, beautiful and skocking. It is a creation of a master.

Eerily foretells the events to come in the Nazi era.......2002-01-15

I'm amazed this book doesn't have more glowing reader reviews as it is an absolute standout for many, many reasons, not the least of which is the author's amazing ability to predict the events to come, even before they've fully occurred! Written in 1934, the novel follows the life of one family, the Oppermanns, and the increasing restrictions and hatred they face in their daily lives. Unwilling to believe these rejections and restrictions are anything but "temporary", they are unprepared for the the way "their" community turns against them, but forced to deal with the inevitable consequences. I found this a very believable work, impossible to put down. The introduction by Ruth Gruber (she spoke with the author) helps place this work into a historical perspective.

Well-written, thought-provoking.......2001-09-10

If you've ever wondered how a modern, civilized country begins the slippery slope to cave-man barbaric behavior, this book is a must-read. It's an fast read too -- goes by very quickly, especially towards the end.

Worth a look.......2001-05-01

This novel recounts the experiences of a fictional Jewish family in Berlin in the early 1930s, as the Nazis take over Germany. An omniscient narrator relates the perspectives of both the Jewish Oppermanns and the National Socialists as Jewish stores are boycotted, as people are arrested in the middle of the night, and as some even commit suicide or find themselves in new concentration camps.

This is not Feuchtwanger's most-read work but it's worth reading if you're interested in Feuchtwanger, in modern literature, or even German history. Feuchtwanger accurately and sometimes painfully depicts the very feelings of people astonished at what was happening in their own country, and it's the novel's gripping reality that provides the reader with a fuller, more personal perspective not available in history books.

This edition includes an introduction written by someone who knew Feuchtwanger and also a reprint of the first review of the novel by the New York Times.

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kiddush hashem and chillul hashem

MORE POWER THAN EVER

Jew Suss

Superb historical novel of Medieval Europe and the Jews.

Jew Suss
Lion Feuchtwanger
Manufacturer: Carroll & Graf Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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The Oppermanns: A Novel

ASIN: 0881840475

Customer Reviews:

kiddush hashem and chillul hashem.......2004-09-05

Traditional Judaism created the concept of "chillul hashem" (desecrating or embarrassing the name of G-d, usually by making Jews or Judaism look bad) and "kiddush hashem" (sanctifying the name of G-d) to describe behavior by Jews that makes Jews look especially bad or good (respectively) in the eyes of the gentile world. This novel is about both: most of the main character's life constituted a chillul hashem. As a German king's chief financial officer, he taxes the peasants into penury. But eventually he sabotages the king's plans for despotism and nobly stands by his religion at the cost of his life.

MORE POWER THAN EVER.......2002-08-20

This is one of the most powerful books ever written. All works of Lion Feuchtwanger deserve the special place in our history and in our hearts and this book is right on the top of it.

Jew Suss.......2000-09-13

A Russian friend told me to buy this book..he said it was extremely popular about young Russian Jews... I found it to be a powerfully healing book for people who are in turmoil and looking for some purpose in the grand scheme of things..the book in parts is very biting,very disturbing, and at times hysterically funny..it is timeless as its characters and their exaggerated flaws applied to modern leaders..and to Jews who are striving to be non Jews..For Jews who have lost touch with their roots through their families' attempts at assimilation but who feel their Jewish soul..this book might help lessen their pain and find their purpose in living.. Bobby

Superb historical novel of Medieval Europe and the Jews........1999-01-07

Feuchtwanger is probably the best historical novelist in the world - truly superb in erudition and majestic in his literary style. While this German Jewish writer is famous for his Josephus trilogy detailing the scenes of the destruction of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, he has also written unequaled novels on Goya the artist, J.J.Rousseau the philosopher, and last but not least, on Benjamin Franklin. Jew Suss is about medieval Europe and the Jewish presence there, sometimes a very visible presense, sometimes kabbalistically hidden. A tour-de-force of the highest calibre.

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Incredible that this trilogy should be out of print!
A MUST READ FOR ANY CULTURED PERSON
A truly magnificent book
One of his greatest books

Josephus (Josephus T25)
Lion Feuchtwanger
Manufacturer: Atheneum Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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Jew Suss
The Oppermanns: A Novel

ASIN: 0689703457

Customer Reviews:

Incredible that this trilogy should be out of print!.......2004-02-08

The epoch chronicled by Joseph ben Matthias, former priest of the High Temple in Jerusalem, military commander (of sorts) in Galilee against the opening Roman onslaught and historian of that war, is an extremely significant crossroads of civilization and religion.

Josephus was a champion of his maligned people in the waning years of his life. His life and works were shunned by his beloved Jews as he was considered an arch-traitor who became a Roman lackey. That his works were preserved was only due to
the dligence of certain Christian prelates in the early Church, who (after tampering with some revered passages) found in Josephus a witness to the life and resurrection of Christ outside the Gospels. What a marvelous subject for a novel. Lion Feuchtwanger rose to the occasion. His characters are not the antiseptic saints or the demons of Lew Wallace's Ben Hur, but
conflicted, vacillating and at times just plain goofy people who almost accidentally were placed center stage in one of history's most crucial turning points.

Is F's history a little fudged? Well certainly, but his own essay on the historical novel makes it clear that he is
a "political message" writer who takes liberties here and there to make his tale relevant. When he wrote, Jews throughtout the diaspora wrestled with the notion of Zionism... reestablishment of a Jewish polity on ancient ground. The countervailing movement was that Jews had to become "world citizens", contributing to civilization in the countries of their birth, even as rising fascism and antiSemitism closed in upon them.

So Josephus' famed Antiquities is given a bit of a spin to conform with Feuchtwanger's Germany and the Palestine under the British Mandate. To the purist, distortions such as having
the aristocratic priest Josephus be an early advocate of a Zealot faction called the Makkabees might be a bit jarring.
Was Queen Berenice a Jewish patriot in her own way? Well it's possible, and the real Josephus may have wanted to mute this
characterization, as the Jews in Rome were under suspicion and censure under Domitian. Did Nero's consort, Poppaea Sabina
flirt coquettishly with Josephus while testing his knowledge of Jewish aspirations in Judaea and the world? Why not? We know she showered Josephus with gifts and that she was sympathetic
to the Jews's situation....though not a very saintly person in her personal affairs to put it mildly.

Reading these works, one can only wonder why they were never brought to the screen, let alone allowed to go out of print.

A MUST READ FOR ANY CULTURED PERSON.......2003-11-26

Feuchtwanger is probably the best historical novelist in the world - truly superb in erudition and majestic in his literary style. While this German Jewish writer is famous for his Josephus trilogy detailing the scenes of the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem by the Romans, he has also written breathtaking historical novels on Goya the artist, J.J.Rousseau the philosopher, and last but not least, on Benjamin Franklin ("Arms for America"). "Jew Suss" (another masterpiece) is about medieval Europe and the Jewish presence there, sometimes a very visible presense, sometimes kabbalistically hidden. All of these books are a tour-de-force of the highest calibre.

A truly magnificent book.......2003-08-14

A must read for every Historical Fiction lover. It displays a fascinating view of the Great Uprising at 70 C.E., and a truly unique study of the human nature and its drives. Josephus is a book with fully fleshed, multy-faceted personalities, well built background and wondrous plotline. Plenty of material for thought.

One of the traits I most appreciate in Feuchtwanger is that he does not attempt to idolize his characters, but presents them as the humans they were, with all the complications and wonders of the concept.

Aside from a few errors in Jewish religious terminology, and questionable historical moments (without which Historical Fiction is impossible) his portrait of the time is accurate, vivid and irresistable.

The book is bound to sweep every reader immediately, and never let go.

One of his greatest books.......2000-10-27

In this real masterpiece Lion Feuchtwanger has incredibly successfully showed the very nature of jews and their religion. Through the book the reader can not only understand what this people feel and why they live how they do. He starts to love them, to see their tragedy, destiny, future. It's absolutely impossible to stay indifferent. The next two parts of the trilogy ("The sons" and "The day will come") accomplish the history of life of a profound historian Josephus Flavius, but personally I admire this book the most.

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Jephta and his daughter
Lion Feuchtwanger
Manufacturer: Putnam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

German | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0007E2HGY

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Jew Suss
Lion Feuchtwanger
Manufacturer: Avon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000P18M5Y

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Simone,
Lion Feuchtwanger
Manufacturer: The Viking Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

German | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0006AQAVM

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The ugly duchess (Avon)
Lion Feuchtwanger
Manufacturer: Avon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B00087NS18

Book Description

1928. The book begins: Between the town of Innsbruck and the Monastery of Wilten a large open piece of level ground was covered with tents and flagpoles; wooden galleries had been erected, and a kind of arena staked out for jousting and other chivalrous sports. There was accommodation for thousands of spectators and all was ready for their comfort and amusement. But these tents had covered the level fields of Wilten for nearly two years, waiting for the great and magnificent wedding-feast which Heinrich, Duke of Carinthia, Count of Tyrol, and King of Bohemia wished to celebrate. The brothers of the Monastery saw to it that the wind did not damage the tents, that the tilting-ground was not overgrown, and that the galleries did not fall to pieces. But still the festival was postponed; the second matrimonial project seemed to be as great a failure as the first. The citizens of Innsbruck and the monks of Wilten sniggered; the mountains looked down with indifference. The housewives of Innsbruck strolled down the fine gay canvas alleys, their children played tag over the benches, and lovers used the tents as convenient hiding-places.

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The Ugly Duchess: A historical romance
Lion Feuchtwanger
Manufacturer: M. Secker
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B0006AK6NK

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Proud destiny
Lion Feuchtwanger
Manufacturer: Viking Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B0007DKDPW

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