Mann, Thomas (1875–1955)

German novelist and critic. A largely subjective artist, he drew his themes from his own experiences and inner thoughts. He was constantly preoccupied with the idea of death in the midst of life and with the position of the artist in relation to society. His first novel was Buddenbrooks (1901), a saga of a merchant family which traces through four generations the gradual growth of decay as culture slowly saps virility. Der Zauberberg/The Magic Mountain (1924), a vast symbolic work on the subject of disease in sick minds and bodies, and also the sickness of Europe, probes the question of culture in relation to life. Notable among his works of short fiction is ‘Der Tod in Venedig/Death in Venice’ (1913). He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1929.

He was born in Lübeck, the younger brother of Heinrich Mann. He worked in an insurance office in Munich and became a reader on the staff of the periodical Simplicissimus, in which some of his stories were published. His opposition to the Nazi regime forced him to leave Germany and in 1940 he became a US citizen, but he returned to Europe in 1954. Among his other works are a biblical tetralogy Joseph und seine Brüde/Joseph and his Brothers (1933–43); Doktor Faustus, das Leben des deutschen Tonsetzers Adrian Leverkuehn, erzählt von einem Freund/Dr Faustus: the Life of the German Composer Adrian Leverkuehn, as told by a Friend (1947), the Faust legend brought up to date with a background of pre- and post-war Germany; Die Bekenntnisse des Hochstaplers Felix Krull/Confessions of Felix Krull, Confidence Man (1954), widely considered to be the greatest comic novel in German literature; and a number of short stories, including ‘Tonio Kröger’ (1903) which exemplifies the conflict between the ordinary person and the artist.

‘Tonio Kröger’ was published in the collection Tristan (1903); this was followed by Fiorenza/Florence (1905), a dramatic dialogue. In 1905 he got married and Königliche Hoheit/Royal Highness appeared the following year. In 1912 a visit to Davos laid the foundations for Der Zauberberg. In the meantime he published Der Tod in Venedig. His writings after the outbreak of war in 1914 were directed towards justifying the German position, notably in an essay on Frederick the Great, ‘Friedrich und die grosse Koalition’ (1915). His Betrachtungen eines Unpolitischen/Meditations of an Unpolitical Person appeared in 1918. Other essays were collected in two volumes and published in 1922 (Rede und Antwort/Speech and Reply, Bemühungen/Endeavours, and an essay on Goethe and Tolstoy appeared in 1923. When Der Zauberberg was published it was immediately translated into most European languages and won him the Nobel Prize. It was followed by Mario und der Zauberer/Mario and the Magician (1930).

The coming of the Nazi regime led to a self-imposed exile and Mann went to Switzerland, where from 1937 he edited a literary journal, Mass und Wert. He was deprived of German citizenship and also of the degree of Ehrendoktor which he held at Bonn University. Meanwhile, Joseph und seine Brüder was in course of publication. It comprised Die Geschichten Jaakobs/The Tales of Jacob (1933), Der junge Joseph/Young Joseph (1934), Joseph in Aegypten/Joseph in Egypt (1936), and Joseph der Ernährer/Joseph the Provider (1943). In this work he attempts to construct ‘by means of mythical psychology, a psychology of the myth’, showing how the process of life, the duality of spirit and flesh, expresses itself through myth. It is notable not only for its philosophical questioning of the nature of humanity but also for its narrative power and characterization. Throughout this period Mann constantly supported anti-Nazi movements. He stressed the indivisibility of his nature as artist and social critic, and the unity of the world of intellect. Some of his political essays and speeches were published in English as Order of the Day (1942). In 1938 he went to the USA and became a US citizen in 1940 but he later returned to Europe and settled near Zürich.

Later works include Lotte in Weimar/The Beloved Returns (1939) and Die vertauschten Köpfe/The Transposed Heads, a Legend of India (1940). His last work was Die Bekenntnisse des Hochstaplers Felix Krull.