Lovable Crooks and Loathsome Jews: Antisemitism in German and Austrian Crime Writing Before the World Wars

In the years leading up to the World Wars, Germany and Austria saw an unprecedented increase in the study and depiction of the criminal. Science, journalism and crime fiction were obsessed with delinquents while ignoring the social causes of crime. As criminologists measured criminals' heads and debated biological predestination, court reporters and crime writers wrote side-splitting or heart-rending stories featuring one of the most popular characters ever created--the hilarious or piteous crook. The author examines the figure of the crook and notions of Jewish criminality in a range of antisemitic writing, from Nazi propaganda to court reporting to forgotten classics of crime fiction.