Available for the first time in English since its debut in the Netherlands in 1947, Comedy in a Minor Key introduces American readers to one of Europe’s most brilliant literary talents. Showcasing Hans Keilson’s sophisticated, timeless approach to storytelling, this well-honed novel features a darkly comic premise: a well-intentioned Dutch couple agrees to give refuge to a Jew during World War II, protecting him from certain death at the hands of Nazis. Despite Wim and Marie’s noble efforts, their guest dies anyway, of pneumonia. Through this macabre irony, Keilson explores the destruction and desolation left in Hitler’s wake, as well as the questions of mortality and its meaning raised by twentieth-century warfare. Republished in honor of the author’s one hundredth birthday, Comedy in a Minor Key examines the most essential facets of human existence.