Fritz von Unruh was one of the most prominent dramatists of the German expressionist movement. Like other expressionists, he directed strong, passionate language against war and inhumanity and constructed in his writings a visionary world of global brotherhood, love, and peace. Unruh's dramas and public speeches drew large audiences in pre-Nazi Germany. But the messages he conveyed, warning against a radical nationalism, did not suit the ideology of the Third Reich. After Hitler seized power Unruh's works were banned, his property was confiscated, and he had to flee through several European countries before he finally found asylum in America.

Unruh's literary production in prose can be seen as a direct consequence of the difficulties he faced in putting his plays on the stage in America. His novels carry the same polemic thrust as his dramas: the vision of a new humanity is portrayed in sharp distinction to Germany's...