Berthold Auerbach

Born Moses Baruch Auerbach in Nordstetten in Württemberg on February 28, 1812, he grew up in a Jewish family and was originally educated for the rabbinate. His studies later took him toward philosophy and literature instead, and the writings of Spinoza were especially important in shaping his thinking.

He became one of the most widely read German authors of his time through Black Forest Village Stories and other works that portrayed ordinary rural life with realism, sympathy, and humor. Reference works describe him as especially noted for his tales of village life, and he is also associated with the German Tendenzroman, fiction written to engage with social, moral, and political ideas.

Auerbach died in Cannes, France, on February 8, 1882. He is remembered as a German-Jewish novelist whose storytelling connected regional life, liberal thought, and a deep interest in how people live together in society.