Born in Bremen, Germany, he practiced law but left this to devote himself to historical studies. In the early 1930s he left Germany for Switzerland and then in 1933 moved to Palestine, living in Tel Aviv where he learned Hebrew and wrote his last works in that language. He was the author of poems, plays, stories and novels and is best known for his historical biographies which included works on Shabbetai Tzevi - The Messiah of Ismir, Uriel da Costa and Theodor Herzl

Bibliography:

KASTEIN, Josef. The Messiah of Ismir: Sabbatai Zevi. Translated by Huntley Paterson. Pp. 346. New York: Viking Press, c1931.

KASTEIN, Josef. History and destiny of the Jews. Translated from the German by Huntley Paterson. Pp. viii, 464. Garden City, N.Y., Garden City publishing co., inc. [1936]

KASTEIN, Josef. Jews in Germany. Translated from the German by Dorothy Richardson, with a preface by James Stephens. Pp. vii-xx, 165. London: The Cresset press [1934]

KASTEIN, Josef. Melchior; ein hanseatischer kaufmannsroman. Pp. 422. Bremen: Friesen-verlag [c1927]

KASTEIN, Josef. Uriel da Costa, oder, Die Tragoedie der Gesinnung. Pp. 340. Berlin: Rowohlt, 1932.

KASTEIN, Josef. Juedische Neuorientierung. Pp. 36. Wien: R. Loewit, 1935.