The Three Leaps of Wang Lun (Die drei Sprünge des Wang-lun) is a historical novel by the German author Alfred Döblin that narrates upheaval and revolution in 18th-century China. Published in 1916 (although back-dated to 1915), this epic historical novel was Döblin's third novel (although it was the first to be published as a book). It earned him the Fontane Prize.[1] Favorably received by critics, who praised its detailed and exotic depictions of China, it was a literary breakthrough for Döblin.[2]Wang Lun also had an influence on younger German writers, including Lion Feuchtwanger, Anna Seghers and Bertolt Brecht; for the latter, it provided an impulse for the development of the theory of epic theatre.[3] In commercial sales, it is Döblin's most successful novel after Berlin Alexanderplatz.[4] The title of the novel refers to the rebel leader Wang Lun.
