The Austrian doctor and writer Ernst Weiss (1882-1940), praised by Thomas Mann as one of the greatest talents in German prose, is among the many Jewish exiles driven from their homeland by German fascism in the 1930s. He finds refuge in Prague and later in Paris. There, his strained financial situation and the prohibition against practicing medicine plunge him into great despair. When German troops finally march into the French capital, the sensitive author takes his own life. Weiss's stories are heavily influenced by his work as a doctor. Themes such as illness, medical psychology, and medical ethics recur throughout his work. Many of his characters have medical professions. Today, he is primarily remembered for his close friendship with Kafka, as well as for his narrative talent and literary work.