In a time of lesser literary genius Alfred Neumann surely would have achieved the enduring recognition he deserves; unfortunately for him, his work was overshadowed by that of such renowned contemporaries and associates as Thomas Mann, Leonhard Frank, Lion Feuchtwanger, and Franz Werfel. Still, while Neumann is, in the words of one scholar, "verschollen und vergessen" (gone and forgotten), he was highly acclaimed during his lifetime. This reputation was built on his prolific contributions as a novelist, dramatist, and screenplay writer, and to a lesser degree as a poet, short story writer, and essayist.

Neumann came, in his own words, "aus reichem Hause, wilhelminischer Bourgeoisie" (from a rich house of the Wilhelmine middle class). He was born into the Jewish family of Wolff and Malvina Joseph Neumann in the provincial town of Lautenburg, West Prussia (now in Poland), and his family moved to Berlin within a few years...