JOSEPH AND HIS BROTHERS

by Thomas Mann ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 6, 1934

There's a highly discriminating audience for anything and everything Mann writes; there must be a plus sale among those who are interested in a dramatization and fictionization of a Biblical story. Beyond that, this may prove a difficult book to place.... It is the first part of the proposed monumontal novel on one of the great chronicles of the Old Testament, and in presenting his material, Mann has greatly enriched our understanding of the setting and the psychological and philosophical scope of a story rich in significance for all time. Back and forth he weaves the plot, starting with Jacob as an old man, musing over the past with his favorite, Joseph. Bit by bit, a rich pattern is woven in, the characters take form, the story grows, and those parts with which we are familiar drop into place, bearing meaning they had lacked before. There is nothing here to shock the sensibilities of anyone of fundamentalist tendencies -- and yet the story seems essentially modern, while true to an ancient race and civilization. This volume ends with the death of Rachel. It is an important book, but not a book for light reading. As one of the leading books on the publisher's list, it will be backed with a carefully placed advertising plan.

Pub Date: June 6, 1934

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Knopf

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 1934

Categories: FICTION