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Thomas Mann
 150 years

Eine Illustration von Thomas Mann © Autograph

Thomas Mann was born 150 years ago and is one of Germany's most important writers of the 20th century. As a Nobel Prize winner and political commentator, he has left a lasting literary legacy. What moved him? Where did he draw his inspiration from? And why is he still relevant today? Join us and explore the many facets of Thomas Mann.
 

Position

Thomas Mann and the struggle against the enemies of freedom

For democracy to triumph, it must fight, declared Nobel Prize laureate Thomas Mann over 80 years ago. Even today, merely invoking the values of tolerance and freedom is not enough.

Photo: dark birds in front of a light backgroundmonstrators protest in New York against the Italian intervention in the Spanish Civil War. The inscription on their protest signs refers to a quote by the writer Thomas Mann against the war Photo (detail): JJ Shev; © Unsplash Photo (detail): JJ Shev; © Unsplash

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.

Film still from “Death in Venice” by Luchino Visconti (Björn Andresen and Dirk Bogarde) Foto (Detail): © picture alliance / Mary Evans Picture Library Foto (Detail): © picture alliance / Mary Evans Picture Library

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.

Thomas Mann 1916, portrait at desk, coloured Photo (detail): © picture alliance / ullstein bild Photo (detail): © picture alliance / ullstein bild

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.

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

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.

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 Foto (Detail): © ETH-Bibliothek Zürich, Thomas-Mann-Archiv / Fotograf: Unbekannt / TMA_4887 Foto (Detail): © ETH-Bibliothek Zürich, Thomas-Mann-Archiv / Fotograf: Unbekannt / TMA_4887

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.

High Mountain Photo (detail): Etienne Bösiger; © Unsplash Photo (detail): Etienne Bösiger; © Unsplash

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.

Thomas Mann | ETH Library Zurich, Thomas Mann Archive ETH Library Zurich, Thomas Mann Archive, unknown photographer ETH Library Zurich, Thomas Mann Archive, unknown photographer

For democracy to triumph, it must fight, even if it has long been unaccustomed to fighting.
Thomas Mann

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.
 

Thomas Mann Photo (detail): © picture alliance/United Archives | 91050/United_Archives/TopFoto Photo (detail): © picture alliance/United Archives | 91050/United_Archives/TopFoto

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.

Portrait of Julia Mann with children Photo (Detail): ETH-Bibliothek Zürich, Thomas-Mann-Archiv / Fotograf: Unbekannt / TMA_0005 Photo (Detail): ETH-Bibliothek Zürich, Thomas-Mann-Archiv / Fotograf: Unbekannt / TMA_0005

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”. 

A woman in the background mountains Photo: Tobias Schrank Photo: Tobias Schrank

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.

Theodor Adorno Photo (detail): © picture-alliance / akg-images | akg-images Photo (detail): © picture-alliance / akg-images | akg-images

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.

Katia Mann with her children Klaus, Erika, Golo and Monika (1916) Photo (detail): picture alliance / ullstein bild Photo (detail): picture alliance / ullstein bild

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.

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. © Autograf / Tobias Schrank © Autograf / Tobias Schrank

A life with Thomas Mann

The Tel Aviv Doctor and his Love of “The Magic Mountain”

Michael Siedner reads a little Thomas Mann every day. During a visit to the Goethe-Institut Tel Aviv, he reveals why this particular German author means so much to him.

Michael Siedner sitting in front of his piano and the picture of Thomas Mann Foto: Cedric Dorin © Goethe-Institut Israel Foto: Cedric Dorin © Goethe-Institut Israel

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.

Golf club and ball in the grass Photo (detail): Mahadev Ittina; © Unsplash Photo (detail): Mahadev Ittina; © Unsplash

More Mann?

Has our editorial exploration of Thomas Mann wet your appetite for more? You'll find the author's books and much more about his life in our free eLibrary "Onleihe". We have also created an audio collection on Spotify, and would like to invite you to see about events celebrating Thomas Mann's life.

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