August 7, 2019
The Big Pond #40: Villa Aurora and Thomas Mann House in Los Angeles

Thomas Mann House in Los Angeles
© Aaron Perez, courtesy of VATMH

During the Nazi regime, many German artists, scientists, and other intellectuals found refuge in Southern California. The authors Lion Feuchtwanger and Thomas Mann were two of the most prominent “exiles in paradise”. Producer Kerstin Zilm takes us on a trip to their former homes in Los Angeles – the Villa Aurora and the Thomas Mann House – both of which host transatlantic fellows today.

 
The author Lion Feuchtwanger (1884-1958) and his wife Marta (1891-1987), the former residents of the Villa Aurora, came to the US in 1940. They fled from the Nazi regime with the help of Eleanor Roosevelt and American diplomats among others, eventually settling in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles. After World War II, they did not return to Germany, preferring to live and work in the US. After both Lion and Marta Feuchtwanger had passed away, it looked like their house might be demolished, but a group of artists, diplomats, politicians, and journalists intervened and purchased the property. The Villa Aurora was renovated and welcomed the first fellows of its new artist-in-residence-program funded by the German government in 1995.
 
Similarly, the Thomas Mann House – also situated in the Pacific Palisades – was the former home of world-famous writer and Nobel Laureate Thomas Mann (1875-1955). Also forced to flee from the Nazis, Mann lived here with his family from 1942 to 1952. When they left for Switzerland in 1952, the house was sold, only coming back on the market again in 2016. This time, the German government stepped in and bought the property for 15 million dollars. Like the Villa Aurora, the Thomas Mann House hosts fellows – but instead of primarily inviting young artists to live and work in a space of artistic freedom, it welcomes established scholars, artists, and researchers to continue the transatlantic dialogue in the spirit of Thomas Mann.
 
Exile, transatlantic relations, and debates about pressing global issues are once again the topics that occupy residents’ minds at the Villa Aurora and the Thomas Mann House today. Listen to this episode of The Big Pond to find out more.

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