Berthold Auerbach, a German author, of Jewish parentage, born at Nordstetten in the Black Forest, Feb. 28,1812. He studied theology and jurisprudence at Tubingen, and philosophy and history at Munich and Berlin. His earliest historical novels treat of Judaism, as Spinoza (2 vols., Stuttgart, 1837), and Pichter und Kaufmann (2 vols., 1839); and in 1841 he published a German translation of Spinoza's works in 5 vols., with a highly appreciative biographical notice. Subsequently he became celebrated by his descriptions of German village life, remarkable for an abundance of philosophical reflections and poetical feeling, especially by his Schwarzwalder Dorfgeschichten (4 vols., 1843-'54; English translation, "Black Forest Village Stories," 1869); his popular political almanac, Per Gevattersmann (1845-'8; republished in Schatzhdstlein des Gevattersmanns, 1856); Schrift und Volk (1846); Neues Leben (1851); and still more by his Barfussele (1856; English translation, "Little Barefoot," 1867); Joseph im Schnee (I860; English translation, "Joseph in the Snow," 1867); Edelweiss (1861; English translation, 1869); Auf der Hohe (1865; English translation, "On the Heights," 1868); and Pas Landhaus am Ehein (1869), of which there are several English translations under the titles of "Villa Eden" and "Villa on the Rhine." The tale, Pie Fran Professorin (1848; English translation, "The Professor's Lady," new ed., 1871), used by Madame Birch-Pfeilfer in her drama, Dorf und Stadt, is regarded as one of his most characteristic works.

A number of his tales were published in an English translation in 1869 under the title of "German Stories," and in French in 1853 under that of Contes d'Auer-bach. There are various other translations from his works in English, French, Dutch, and Swedish. He has also written a tragedy, Andree Hofer (Leipsic, 1850), and a drama, Per Wahlspruch (1856), but they were not as successful as his tales. His principal political work is Tagebuch aus Wien (Breslau, 1849; English translation, "Events in Vienna," London, 1849). Since 1858 he has edited in Berlin a popular almanac, Peutscher Volks Kalen-der, and he chiefly resides in that city. A new edition of his complete works was published in Stuttgart in 1871. During the Franco-German war he accompanied for some time one of the German princes, and wrote letters for a German newspaper.