Life Goes On: A Novel

<p>Published when the author was just twenty-three, <i>Life Goes On</i> 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 store owner 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.</p><p>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.</p><p><i>Life Goes On </i>is an essential volume for readers of Keilson's later work. At the age of one hundred, with his one copy of the first edition of <i>Life Goes On </i>in hand, Keilson told <i>The New York Times </i>that he would love to see his first novel reissued, and translated as well. &quot;Then you would have my whole biography,&quot; he told them. He died at the age of one hundred and one.</p>