Norbert Jacques

Born in Luxembourg-Eich on June 6, 1880, he became a prolific writer who worked as a journalist, novelist, and screenwriter. Although he was Luxembourgish, he wrote in German, which helped his stories reach a wide readership in the German-speaking world.

He is best remembered as the creator of Dr. Mabuse, the criminal mastermind introduced in the novel Dr. Mabuse, der Spieler. The character became far more than a book figure: Dr. Mabuse went on to have a long afterlife in film and popular culture, helping secure the author's place in literary and cinematic history.

Over the course of his career, he wrote across several forms and genres, combining popular storytelling with an eye for the tensions of modern life. He died in Koblenz, West Germany, on May 15, 1954.