Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes ProCon History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture Money Videos
Joseph and His Brothers
Table of Contents
Introduction References & Edit History Related Topics
Quizzes
Portrait of young thinking bearded man student with stack of books on the table before bookshelves in the library
Famous Novels, First Lines Quiz
Young woman with glasses reading a book, student
Famous Novels, Last Lines Quiz
Textbook chalkboard and apple. Fruit of knowledge. Hompepage blog 2009, History and Society, school education students
The Literary World (Famous Novels)
Read Next
Britannica's Book Bingo. Take our reading challenge! Books range form greatest, banned, and counterculture.
Britannica’s Book Bingo
Close up of books. Stack of books, pile of books, literature, reading. Homepage 2010, arts and entertainment, history and society
12 Novels Considered the “Greatest Book Ever Written”
Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, Wales.
10 Captivating Contemporary Novels Set in the British Isles
Girl Reading On Turquoise Couch
9 American Countercultural Books
Discover
Diverse elementary school children wearing school uniforms running outside of school. Boys girls
Pro and Con: School Uniforms
Thanksgiving Turkey with all the sides
Why Do We Eat Turkey on Thanksgiving?
New York NY/ USA- November 23, 2018 Hordes of shoppers throng the Macy's Herald Square flagship store in New York looking for bargains on the day after Thanksgiving, Black Friday.
Why Is It Called Black Friday?
Thumbnail for flags that look alike quiz Russia, Slovenia, Iceland, Norway
Flags That Look Alike
Iraqi Army Soldiers from the 9th Mechanized Division learning to operate and maintain M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tanks at Besmaya Combat Training Center, Baghdad, Iraq, 2011. Military training. Iraq war. U.S. Army
8 Deadliest Wars of the 21st Century
Santa Claus flying in his sleigh, christmas, reindeer
Was Santa Claus a Real Person?
Los Angeles Police Department wanted flyer on Elizabeth Short, aka the "Black Dahlia," who was brutally murdered in January 1947. The FBI supported the Los Angeles Police Department in the case, including by identifying Short through her fingerprints that
America’s 5 Most Notorious Cold Cases (Including One You May Have Thought Was Already Solved)

Joseph and His Brothers

work by Mann
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites
Also known as: “Joseph und seine Brüder”, “The Tales of Jacob”
Written and fact-checked by
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Article History

Joseph and His Brothers, series of four novels by Thomas Mann that formed an epic bildungsroman about the biblical figure Joseph. Known collectively in German as Joseph und seine Brüder, the tetralogy consists of Die Geschichten Jaakobs (1933; U.K. title The Tales of Jacob; U.S. title Joseph and His Brothers), Der junge Joseph (1934; Young Joseph), Joseph in Ägypten (1936; Joseph in Egypt), and Joseph der Ernährer (1943; Joseph the Provider). The four novels were published together in English in 1948.

Joseph and His Brothers reinterprets the biblical story as told in the Book of Genesis, employing psychological insight and wide-ranging knowledge of myth, history, and geography.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Kathleen Kuiper.