Begun in the autumn of 1922 and completed within ten months, Lion Feuchtwanger’s second novel was published in 1923 as
Die hässliche Herzogin(later editions were titled
Die hässliche Herzogin Margarete Maultasch). It became an international bestseller, and together with
Jud Süssestablished Feuchtwanger’s reputation as a historical novelist of the first rank, and was translated into seventeen languages. The fine English translation by Willa and Edwin Muir was published by in 1927 as
The Ugly Duchess. A Historical Romance.
Set in the fourteenth century and grounded in careful historical research, the novel focuses on the life of Duchess Margarete of Tyrol and her struggle to compensate for her extreme ugliness and her consequent inability to inspire a genuine loving relationship by
561 words
Citation: Wallace, Ian. "Die hässliche Herzogin". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 12 July 2006 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=16914, accessed 21 November 2024.]
