Lion Feuchtwanger, German-Jewish novelist and playwright, 1884-1958

After studying a variety of subjects, Feuchtwanger became a theater critic and founded the culture magazine "Der Spiegel". He became a prominent figure in the literary world of Weimar Germany and collaborated with Bertholt Brecht on drafts of Brecht's early work "The Life of Edward II of England". His most successful novel was "Jud Süß" (Jew Suss). His Judaism and fierce criticism of the National Socialist German Workers Party, ensured that he would be a target of government-sponsored persecution after Adolf Hitler's appointment as chancellor of Germany. Following a brief period of internment in France and a harrowing escape from Continental Europe, he found asylum in the United States.