"Jewishness is like that Hound of Heaven described by the poet," Lewisohn wrote. "It tracks you through the universe; it lies in ambush from without and fromwithin. You think you have achieved a perfection ofprotective mimicry and on the lips of your dearestfriend you see the unformed syllable, Jew.This novel probes the search for American identityand the search for Jewish identity. Its hero, ArthurLevy, is a man aware of himself and aware of hisworld. He is all of us seeking, all of us adjusting. all ofus coping with the requirements of two worlds; andfinding his only unity within.Ludwig Lewisohn (1882-1955) was born in Berlin,raised in Charleston, South Carolina, and educated atColumbia University. He won recognition throughhis translations of Hauptmann, Rilke, and Suderman;and his critical works such as The Modern Drama andThe Spirit of Modern German Literature. Like the hero ofhis novel, his own Jewish identity was establishedthrough seeking, a process he made public throughhis wide range of writings. Through collections suchas Rebirth: A Book of Modern lewish Thought," essayssuch as What is this Jewish Heritage?, and novels suchas The Island Within, Lewisohn"s life and thought havehad a profound influence on the American Jew.