--- product_id: 127697027 title: "Genius & Anxiety: How Jews Changed the World, 1847-1947" price: "€ 88.03" currency: EUR in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.hr/products/127697027-genius-and-anxiety-how-jews-changed-the-world-1847-1947 store_origin: HR region: Croatia --- # Genius & Anxiety: How Jews Changed the World, 1847-1947 **Price:** € 88.03 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Genius & Anxiety: How Jews Changed the World, 1847-1947 - **How much does it cost?** € 88.03 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.hr](https://www.desertcart.hr/products/127697027-genius-and-anxiety-how-jews-changed-the-world-1847-1947) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description This lively chronicle of the years 1847­–1947—the century when the Jewish people changed how we see the world—is “[a] thrilling and tragic history…especially good on the ironies and chain-reaction intimacies that make a people and a past” ( The Wall Street Journal ). In a hundred-year period, a handful of men and women changed the world. Many of them are well known—Marx, Freud, Proust, Einstein, Kafka. Others have vanished from collective memory despite their enduring importance in our daily lives. Without Karl Landsteiner, for instance, there would be no blood transfusions or major surgery. Without Paul Ehrlich, no chemotherapy. Without Siegfried Marcus, no motor car. Without Rosalind Franklin, genetic science would look very different. Without Fritz Haber, there would not be enough food to sustain life on earth. What do these visionaries have in common? They all had Jewish origins. They all had a gift for thinking in wholly original, even earth-shattering ways. In 1847, the Jewish people made up less than 0.25% of the world’s population, and yet they saw what others could not. How? Why? Norman Lebrecht has devoted half of his life to pondering and researching the mindset of the Jewish intellectuals, writers, scientists, and thinkers who turned the tides of history and shaped the world today as we know it. In Genius & Anxiety , Lebrecht begins with the Communist Manifesto in 1847 and ends in 1947, when Israel was founded. This robust, magnificent, beautifully designed volume is “an urgent and moving history” ( The Spectator , UK) and a celebration of Jewish genius and contribution. Review: The Personalities Behind the Enigma of Jewish Modernity - Genius and Anxiety is a masterpiece but in a particular genre. In a sweeping survey of some one hundred years of Western culture, Lebrecht carefully details the stories and personalities of the Jewish figures who did so much to shape it. While written from a rather typical high culture liberal perspective, Lebrecht discusses artists, scientists and rabbis from all parts of the cultural, political and religious spectrums. The book is so well-written and gripping it is sure to be a classic in the already crowded field of Judaic literature. One will learn the biographies of well-known characters like Proust and how his Jewish ethnicity influenced A Remembrance of Times Past and lesser known characters such as Eliza Davis who did much to correct Dickens’ latent anti-semitism. That said, the book also has its limitations. Lebrecht focuses so much on the personalities and stories of the Jews who shaped Western culture that his description of their actual contributions is rather shallow. Nor is the enigma of why the Jews, as opposed to some other people, contributed so much to modernity well explained. The title of the book is about as much as the author chooses to probe this question. Jews throughout this era were outsiders in a constant state of anxiety about their place in society and even their personal safety. As such, they were in a unique position to criticize and transform Western civilization. Genius and Anxiety is an original book about an already well-discussed era of history. By focusing on the personalities and stories of the Jewish shakers of the modern West, Lebrecht has written a genuine masterpiece. But excitement over what he has achieved should be measured by the fact that there are questions and topics left not only unanswered but also unexplored. Lebrecht concludes the work with a coda that the perennial Jewish question remains unsolved. But I would add that Lebrecht’s book raises many Jewish questions that still perplex modernity. Review: Of Timely Importance - Norman Lebrecht provides an important review of Jewish individuals who made significant contributions to a tumultuous century. Important for Jews as a reminder and inspiration of how our tradition of Tikun Olam ("repairing the world") has provided a motive force in previous generations. Important for non-Jews (particularly the young) this book provides a counter to current college curricula. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #490,426 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #183 in Jewish Social Studies #225 in Jewish Biographies #384 in History of Judaism | | Customer Reviews | 4.6 out of 5 stars 522 Reviews | ## Images ![Genius & Anxiety: How Jews Changed the World, 1847-1947 - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/717GSLq3hBL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The Personalities Behind the Enigma of Jewish Modernity *by A***S on December 7, 2019* Genius and Anxiety is a masterpiece but in a particular genre. In a sweeping survey of some one hundred years of Western culture, Lebrecht carefully details the stories and personalities of the Jewish figures who did so much to shape it. While written from a rather typical high culture liberal perspective, Lebrecht discusses artists, scientists and rabbis from all parts of the cultural, political and religious spectrums. The book is so well-written and gripping it is sure to be a classic in the already crowded field of Judaic literature. One will learn the biographies of well-known characters like Proust and how his Jewish ethnicity influenced A Remembrance of Times Past and lesser known characters such as Eliza Davis who did much to correct Dickens’ latent anti-semitism. That said, the book also has its limitations. Lebrecht focuses so much on the personalities and stories of the Jews who shaped Western culture that his description of their actual contributions is rather shallow. Nor is the enigma of why the Jews, as opposed to some other people, contributed so much to modernity well explained. The title of the book is about as much as the author chooses to probe this question. Jews throughout this era were outsiders in a constant state of anxiety about their place in society and even their personal safety. As such, they were in a unique position to criticize and transform Western civilization. Genius and Anxiety is an original book about an already well-discussed era of history. By focusing on the personalities and stories of the Jewish shakers of the modern West, Lebrecht has written a genuine masterpiece. But excitement over what he has achieved should be measured by the fact that there are questions and topics left not only unanswered but also unexplored. Lebrecht concludes the work with a coda that the perennial Jewish question remains unsolved. But I would add that Lebrecht’s book raises many Jewish questions that still perplex modernity. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Of Timely Importance *by D***D on June 17, 2025* Norman Lebrecht provides an important review of Jewish individuals who made significant contributions to a tumultuous century. Important for Jews as a reminder and inspiration of how our tradition of Tikun Olam ("repairing the world") has provided a motive force in previous generations. Important for non-Jews (particularly the young) this book provides a counter to current college curricula. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ A lot of very intersting information *by J***W on July 12, 2020* I am giving the book 4 stars instead of five because teh book has too much puff at the front. It tells how great we Jews are in general . The book covers a period my religious education glossed over, but mine was a long time ago so perhaps current Jewish HIstory course cover this. The stories of the people involved are deeply intersting and well told. There is a lot of speculation in the book on some very intersting people and the author clearly states to reasons to doubt the material. The material is very engrossing. Skip the introduction, the story tells the story --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.hr/products/127697027-genius-and-anxiety-how-jews-changed-the-world-1847-1947](https://www.desertcart.hr/products/127697027-genius-and-anxiety-how-jews-changed-the-world-1847-1947) --- *Product available on Desertcart Croatia* *Store origin: HR* *Last updated: 2026-07-15*