Engelhart Ratgeber

Jakob Wassermann (1873-1934) was a German-Jewish writer. He was one of the most productive and popular storytellers of his time. In addition to novels, Wassermann wrote successful biographies and continued his essays, in which he repeatedly addressed the existence of Jews in non-Jewish environments. Simultaneously with the book burnings in Germany in 1933, his books were banned, even though he had been one of the most widely read authors until then. This not only meant material ruin for him but, above all, the collapse of his lifelong hopes to help build a world of peace without national tensions and racial hatred through his work.

From the book: "The boy was still asleep, in the deep sleep of unconsciousness, and at most a dream hinted at life. Play was everything to him; the urge to play completely filled him. In the evenings, when he was already in bed, his mother sat by the lamp sewing, and he played with steel springs, used matches, and a few lead soldiers in the following game. He held his knees under the blanket spread apart so that it formed various elevations, folds, and depressions, and in this, he saw a terrifyingly rugged mountain range with dark ravines and steep peaks. The mercenaries traversed the highs and lows, battling dwarfs and wild animals; illuminated by the ghostly glow of the lamp, fairies floated over the bed mountains, and the climax was a tremendous earthquake, the spirits and soldiers pleaded for mercy, but Engelhart was determined to consistently fulfill the role of the world creator, mercilessly his knees fell down, and the picturesque rocky land turned into a desolate plain, the night of worlds descended.".