Joseph and His Brothers

Joseph and His Brothers
Cover of the first edition of part 4 (1943)
AuthorThomas Mann
Original titleJoseph und seine Brüder
LanguageGerman
Publication date
1933–1943
Publication placeGermany
Media typePrint

Joseph and His Brothers (German: Joseph und seine Brüder, pronounced [ˈjoːzɛf ʊnt ˌzaɪ̯nə ˈbʁyːdɐ]) is a four-part novel by Thomas Mann, written over the course of 16 years. Mann retells the familiar stories of Genesis, from Jacob to Joseph (chapters 27–50), setting it in the historical context of the Amarna Period. Mann considered it his greatest work.[citation needed]

The tetralogy consists of:

  • The Stories of Jacob (Die Geschichten Jaakobs; written December 1926 to October 1930, Genesis 27–36)
  • Young Joseph (Der junge Joseph; written January 1931 to June 1932, Genesis 37)
  • Joseph in Egypt (Joseph in Ägypten; written July 1932 to 23 August 1936, Genesis 38–39)
  • Joseph the Provider (Joseph, der Ernährer; written 10 August 1940 to 4 January 1943, Genesis 40–50)