Joseph and His Brothers

This excellent new translation by John E. Woods is a cause for celebration: first, because Joseph and His Brothers is in fact a great novel that will now be discovered by a new generation of readers; and second, because Woods himself is to be credited with an extraordinary achievement… Woods tackles the challenges of Mann’s wide-ranging diction with exuberance… Mann has finally found his ideal English translator. – Ruth Franklin * New Republic *John E. Woods, who has won praise for his translations of “Buddenbrooks,” “Dr. Faustus” and “The Magic Mountain,” has approached the Joseph tetralogy with immense conviction and enthusiasm – Merle Rubin * Los Angeles Times *In a new translation by John E. Woods it is surprisingly readable, subtly humorous at times, challenging, and ultimately rewarding. It is by far the best book I have read in years. – Sue Asher * Historical Novel Society *

Thomas Mann (1875-1955) is regarded by many as the greatest German novelist of the 20th century. Mann’s first major novel, Buddenbrooks, sold over a million copies in Germany alone, before Hitler banned and burned it. Mann fled Germany and spent the latter part of his life living in Switzerland and America. He wrote many essays as well as novels, and won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1929.