150 years
Articles Thomas Mann

Why is Thomas Mann still regarded today as one of the most important German storytellers of the 20th century? Literary scholar and Thomas Mann expert Friedhelm Marx offers insights into the life and legacy of this iconic author.

From Lübeck to Los Angeles: Thomas Mann’s life story took him from Europe to the USA and back again. Our slideshow gives you an insight into the many different places where the Mann family lived.

During the Nazi regime, many German artists and intellectuals found refuge in Southern California. The authors Lion Feuchtwanger and Thomas Mann were among the most prominent “exiles in paradise”. Join us on our audio voyage to their former homes in Los Angeles.

Thomas Mann wrote great literature all his life. Almost three decades after the publication of "Buddenbrooks", the writer received the Nobel Prize for Literature for his debut novel on 10th December 1929.
 

After years of negotiations, the establishment of a cultural centre in Julia Mann's birthplace in Paraty, Brazil, remains uncertain. Experts have noted the importance of an institution dedicated to the Manns, as Julia Mann played a key role in shaping the lives of Thomas and Heinrich Mann.

Researcher Veronika Fuechtner examines the enormous influence Julia Mann had on the aesthetics of her son Thomas Mann's work, and explains in the interview why literary criticism addresses this aspect so scantly if at all. 
 

Thomas Mann grappled with it his entire life – this inner tension between bourgeois existence and his calling as an artist. We explore a conflict that shaped his literary work more than anything else.

Thomas Mann’s novel “The Magic Mountain” has the reputation of being a book for “true intellectuals”. It need not be quite so daunting, however: we have some tips for the less scholarly inclined and for Thomas Mann novices determined to give this literary classic a chance.

Thomas Mann's Joseph novels are more than just a retelling of the Bible: they are a literary alternative to National Socialism - and a reflection of his exile.

Theodor W. Adorno recommended that readers of Thomas Mann's novel should forego the arduous task of deciphering the symbols and instead read the work three times. The author Katarzyna Trzeciak writes about why it is worth considering this suggestion.

In the summer of 1900, Thomas Mann sent a handwritten copy of Buddenbrooks to the publisher Samuel Fischer. Małgorzata Łukasiewicz takes a close look at this work and deciphers it to uncover Mann’s ideas.

The Polish literary critic Justyna Sobolewska describes how she sinks into the plot of the novel “The Magic Mountain”. 

Thomas Mann returned to Italy, the wellspring of his creativity, throughout his life. Yet despite Italy being a source of inspiration, his writings present a surprisingly sombre portrait of the country.

Thomas Mann never met Franz Kafka, but he was an avid reader of his works. How, then, did Mann discover Kafka, how did he interpret him, and what role did an interrupted round of golf have in it all? Find out in this article by writer and philosopher Grzegorz Jankowicz.

Impostors, dreamers, unconventional free spirits and crazy dogs. There are many exciting characters in Thomas Mann's novels. Which character are you? Find out with our psychological test.