Articles Thomas Mann

Thomas Mann 1916, portrait at desk, coloured

Celebrating 150 years of Thomas Mann
Thomas Mann Revisited

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.

Graphic in shades of grey, showing a drawing by Thomas Mann on the left and a section of a world map in the remaining part of the image. In North America and Europe, Thomas Mann's places of residence (Lübeck, Munich, Zurich, Princeton and Los Angeles) are labelled and lines indicate the route Thomas Mann took from one place to another.

Slideshow
At home with Thomas Mann

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.

Thomas Mann | ETH Library Zurich, Thomas Mann Archive

Exile in Paradise
Villa Aurora and Thomas Mann House in Los Angeles

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.

Mann's life
Nobel laureate in literature and “later” democrat

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.

Julia Mann
Thomas Mann’s Brazilian Mom

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.

Julia Mann-da Silva Bruhns, left in picture

Julia Mann
The concealed heritage

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.

Film still from “Death in Venice” by Luchino Visconti (Björn Andresen and Dirk Bogarde)

Between two Worlds
Bourgeois and Artist Thomas Mann

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.

For beginners
Reading tips for the “Magic Mountain”

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.

Foto (Detail): © ETH-Bibliothek Zürich, Thomas-Mann-Archiv / Fotograf: Unbekannt / TMA_3035

Joseph and His Brothers
Thomas Mann and his Joseph in exile

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.

The Magic Mountain
A trick of self-development

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.

Katia Mann with her children Klaus, Erika, Golo and Monika (1916)

The Buddenbrooks
Family Affairs

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.

Reading experience
“The Magic Mountain” as bedtime reading

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

Photo postcard “Grandhôtel des Bains” – Venice, Lido; in the background a large building, in front of it a body of water with numerous people bathing and two Venetian gondolas

A special relationship
Thomas Mann and Italy

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.

Mann and Kafka
An interrupted round of golf

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.

Illustrations of Mann's novel characters: (from left) Felix Krull, Hans Castorp, Sesemi Weichbrod, Imma Spoelmann

Psychological test
Which Thomas Mann novel character are you?

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.

150 years Articles Thomas Mann

Celebrating 150 years of Thomas Mann Thomas Mann Revisited

Slideshow At home with Thomas Mann

Exile in Paradise Villa Aurora and Thomas Mann House in Los Angeles

Mann's life Nobel laureate in literature and “later” democrat

Julia Mann Thomas Mann’s Brazilian Mom

Julia Mann The concealed heritage

Between two Worlds Bourgeois and Artist Thomas Mann

For beginners Reading tips for the “Magic Mountain”

Joseph and His Brothers Thomas Mann and his Joseph in exile

The Magic Mountain A trick of self-development

The Buddenbrooks Family Affairs

Reading experience “The Magic Mountain” as bedtime reading

A special relationship Thomas Mann and Italy

Mann and Kafka An interrupted round of golf

Psychological test Which Thomas Mann novel character are you?

150 years
Articles Thomas Mann