This collection of essays investigates the complex interplay between Jewish identity and the development of modernist culture in Germany during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Peter Gay, a distinguished historian of European intellectual history, utilizes his expertise in psychoanalysis and German history to analyze how Jewish intellectuals and artists shaped the German cultural landscape. He argues that the modernist spirit was inextricably linked to the social and intellectual contributions of German Jews, challenging monolithic views of German national identity.

Historians frequently cite this work as a nuanced exploration of the intersection between minority identity and national cultural evolution. Scholars often note the clarity of Gay's prose and his ability to synthesize complex intellectual history into accessible essays.