Man of Straw (Penguin Twentieth-Century Classics)

First published in 1918, "Man of Straw" is a sharp indictment of the Wilhelmine regime and a chilling warning against the joint elevation of militarism and commercial values. The "Man of Straw" is Diederich Hessling, embodiment of the corrupt society in which he moves; his brutish progression through life forms the central theme of the book.