The False Nero. Jephthah and His Daughter

In 1936, the novel "The False Nero" was published in Amsterdam — a work by the outstanding German writer Lion Feuchtwanger, who had recently released the first and second parts of the epic "Trilogy of Josephus Flavius." The plot, touched upon in the process of working on this monumental historical canvas about the ancient Roman historian of Jewish origin, inspired Feuchtwanger to dedicate a separate novel to the story of the potter Terentius, who declared himself the miraculously saved emperor Nero. To this day, this compact, almost randomly born novel remains one of the most beloved in Feuchtwanger's creative legacy for many of his admirers. The novel "Jephthah and His Daughter," also included in the collection, is in many ways the pinnacle of Feuchtwanger's creativity. It again features the Jewish theme, more or less clearly expressed in most of his works. Moreover, this novel is the result of many years of contemplation about the fate of the biblical Jephthah, which struck the author in childhood, about the tragic confrontation of man with fateful circumstances. The novel "Jephthah and His Daughter" was published a year before the writer's death.