Jacob the Liar
Book cover
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| Author | Jurek Becker |
|---|---|
| Original title | Jakob der Lügner |
| Translator | Melvin Kornfeld |
| Country |
East Germany 
|
| Language | German |
| Genre | Tragedy |
|
Publication date
|
1969 |
|
Published in English
|
1975 (Kornfeld) 1996 (Vennewitz) |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| ISBN | (English 1975) (English 1996) |
| OCLC | 1502579 |
| 833/.9/14 | |
| LC Class | PZ4.B3952 Jac3 PT2662.E294 |
Jacob the Liar is a novel written by the East German Jewish author Jurek Becker published in 1969. The German original title is Jakob der Lügner. Becker was awarded the Heinrich-Mann Prize (1971) and the Charles Veillon Prize (1971) after the publication of his bestseller.
The novel was made into two films, Jacob the Liar (1975) by Frank Beyer, which was nominated for Best foreign language film at the Academy Awards, and Jakob the Liar (1999), a Hollywood production starring Robin Williams.
Jacob the Liar was first translated into English by Melvin Kornfeld in 1975, but without Becker's input. A new English translation was made in 1990 by Leila Vennewitz and Becker, published in 1996 it won the Helen and Kurt Wolff Translator's Prize.
The novel follows the life of the Jewish protagonist Jacob Heym in the ghetto of Łódź, Poland during the German occupation of World War II. Jacob met an 8-year-old girl named Lina, whose parents were both killed and who is hidden from the Germans after escaping from the camp transport train.
While walking around the ghetto near the time of curfew, Jacob is suddenly stopped by a seemingly bored German officer on a patrol. The officer pretends that the Jewish curfew of 8 pm has already passed, and sends the hapless Jacob to the police station. Jacob obeys him submissively and is followed by the sentinel's flashlight. He arrives at the station where he hears radio news reporting about the approach of the Red Army. Miraculously, Jacob is released since the sentinel was playing a practical joke on him and it was not yet curfew. The first Jew to leave that station alive, Jacob cannot believe his luck. Both this and the radio broadcast fill him with hope.
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