author

Jacob Feis

1842–1900

A German-born merchant and writer who spent many years in London, he is remembered for bringing English literature to German readers and for an unusual study linking Hamlet with Montaigne. His work moves between business life, translation, and literary argument in a way that still feels distinctive.

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Shakspere and Montaigne

Shakspere and Montaigne

by Jacob Feis

About the author

Jacob Feis was a German merchant and author who lived for many years in London and died there on July 7, 1900. Alongside his business career, he built a reputation as a literary man with a strong interest in English writing and ideas.

He devoted much of his writing to translating and interpreting English literature for German readers. Sources connected with his work note that he translated pieces by Alfred Tennyson and John Ruskin, showing a particular interest in bringing major Victorian voices into German.

Feis is especially associated with his 1884 English-language book Shakespeare and Montaigne: An Endeavor to Explain the Tendency of 'Hamlet' from Allusions to Contemporary Works. In it, he argued for a connection between changes in Hamlet and the influence of Montaigne’s essays, giving him a small but memorable place in Shakespeare criticism.