Published when the author was just twenty-three, Life Goes On was Hans Keilson's literary debut, an extraordinary autobiographical novel that paints a dark yet illuminating portrait of Germany between the world wars. It is the story of Herr Seldersen, a Jewish storeowner modeled on Keilson's father, a textile merchant and decorated World War I veteran, along with his wife and son, Albrecht, and the troubles they encounter as the German economy collapses and politics turn rancid.
The book was banned by the Nazis in 1934. Shortly afterward, following his editor's advice, Keilson emigrated to the Netherlands, where he would spend the rest of his life.
"…Life Goes On is an important and heartbreaking novel, and not only because it lets us hear the power of Keilson's young voice just before it was silenced for more than a decade...Moreover, as grim as the material is, the prose is a pleasure. Keilson has a lovely, easy style, a gentle tone and an analytic mind. He depicts complicated human interactions…with a precocious mastery of nuance and full comprehension of what can't be said."
The New York Times Book Review
"Stunningly accomplished and self-assured for such a young writer this novel, published initially in 1933 when Keilson was in his early 20s, gives a haunting portrait of Germany between the two world wars."
