Dr. Alexander Jacob

July 5, 2008 on 8:54 pm | Friedrich Braun | Books | | Email This Post | Print this Post

I’m currently reading Europa: German Conservative Foreign Policy 1870-1940, selected readings translated by Dr. Alexander Jacob. It has to be one of the most confusing, opaque, difficult books that I’ve read in a long time. I’ve read about 2/3 of it so I’ll finish the entire monograph, mostly because I just hate not finishing a book that I’ve already started. Dr. Alexander Jacob is an East Indian gentleman who’s command of the English language is rather odd for a North American ear. I find myself re-reading the same sentences and paragarphs several times and that alone drives me insane! His choice of words and idioms, sentence and paragraph structure is at times both bizarre and incomprehensible. This is what often happens when a work of German political theory (an arduous subject matter in itself) is translated by a dilettante and not a professional translator. I’m amazed that University Press of America agreed to publish this work. Has anyone over there even read him? I don’t think so as the book is full of stupid errors that an editor would’ve surely noticed.

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  1. Thanks for telling us a bit more about this important scholar/researcher/translator. Luckily, I was first introduced to him when you linked to that interview with him by DD a while back — it was an excellent interview which made me admire Dr. Jacob and many of his ideas immediately.

    I recently ordered Dr. Jacob’s book which you linked to on this website not too long ago called EUGEN DUEHRING ON THE JEWS (a translation of Duehring’s DIE JUNDENFRAGE [2nd. edition: 1881]) and I’m about halfway through it with none of the associated problems which you discuss here. This book is a VERY IMPORTANT work regarding the Jewish Question, as it is surely some of the most ‘high brow’ anti-Jewish writing to ever emerge from any Western country.

    Sometimes the translation does indeed seem a bit awkward or gawky (this is normal for many translated works), but generally I think Dr. Jacob’s translation of Duehring’s hugely important book was well done. Dr. Jacob’s introduction to the book was also very well written too and contained a lot of valuable background information, commentary, and personal insights. The bibliography at the back of the book is excellent as well and allows for ample further reading in related topics.

    Whatever his writing style may be, Dr. Alexander Jacob is without a doubt a very important scholar/researcher/translator since he is thinking about many of these taboo issues (especially regarding the Jewish Question) and translating many important works which have been unavailable in English until he decided to translate them. For that alone he is to be commended.

    I’d like to buy/read his book NOBILITAS but it seems to be out of print, and used copies are unduly expensive and hard to find…do you know anything about that work? Also, you wouldn’t happen to know his email address would you? I can’t find a way to contact him anywhere on the internet (which seems strange); I’d like to drop him a quick note of encouragement and thanks for all his work in these important areas of thought.

    Comment by Zsidozas — July 9, 2008 #

  2. And just a bit of self-promotion…I recently started a website which is focused solely on The Jewish Question and I hope you’ll come by sometime and read or comment.

    My website is located at: http://zsidozas.wordpress.com/

    Thanks,
    - Zsidozas

    Comment by Zsidozas — July 10, 2008 #

  3. Thanks. You might have a point regarding Dr. Jacob.

    Something is better than nothing.

    Comment by Friedrich Braun — July 15, 2008 #

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