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Thomas Mann

1875-06-06 – 1955-08-12

Portrait of Thomas Mann
Thomas Mann, Nobel laureate in Literature 1929Credit: Nobel Foundation

Life & Legacy

Paul Thomas Mann (6 June 1875 – 12 August 1955) was a German novelist, short story writer, social critic, philanthropist, essayist, and the 1929 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate. His highly symbolic and ironic epic novels and novellas are noted for their insight into the psychology of the artist and the intellectual. His analysis and critique of the European and German soul used modern versions of German and Biblical stories, as well as the ideas of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Friedrich Nietzsche, and Arthur Schopenhauer.
The Mann family was part of the Hanseatic class. He portrayed both his family and the influential class in his first novel, Buddenbrooks (1901). Other major novels include The Magic Mountain (1924), the tetralogy Joseph and His Brothers (1933–1943), and Doctor Faustus (1947). He also wrote short stories and novellas, including Death in Venice (1912).
His older brother was novelist Heinrich Mann. Three of Mann's six children – Erika Mann, Klaus Mann and Golo Mann – also became significant German writers.
When Adolf Hitler came to power in 1933, Mann fled to Switzerland. When World War II broke out in 1939, he moved to the United States, returning to Switzerland after the war in 1952. Mann is one of the best-known exponents of the so-called Exilliteratur, German literature written in exile by those who opposed the Hitler regime.

Occupation & Career

novelist, essayist, autobiographer, short story writer, social critic, diarist, screenwriter, university teacher, writer, poet, musician

Education

Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München; Technical University of Munich; Katharineum

Faith & Community

Lutheranism

Accomplishments, Inventions & Publications

Nobel Prize in Literature; Goethe Prize of the City of Frankfurt; Pour le Mérite for Sciences and Arts order; Feltrinelli Prize; Goethe Plaque of the City of Frankfurt; honorary doctorate from Princeton University; honorary doctor of Harvard University; honorary doctorate from Columbia University; Honorary doctor of the University of Oxford; honorary doctorate from the University of Cambridge; Officer of the Legion of Honour; Commander of the Order of Orange-Nassau; honorary citizen of Lübeck; honorary doctor of ETH Zürich; honorary doctorate of Lund University; honorary doctor of the University of Bonn; honorary doctor of Yale University; honorary doctor of the University of Jena; Goethe Medal for Art and Science; honorary doctor of Rutgers University; Pour le Mérite; Order of Orange-Nassau; Taylorian Lecture; Buddenbrooks; The Magic Mountain; Death in Venice; Joseph and His Brothers; Lotte in Weimar: The Beloved Returns; Royal Highness; Doctor Faustus; The Holy Sinner; Confessions of Felix Krull; Tristan; Tonio Kröger; Mario and the Magician; Reflections of an Unpolitical Man; Vision; Gefallen; The Will to Happiness; Disillusionment; Der Tod; Little Herr Friedemann; The Clown; Tobias Mindernickel; The Wardrobe; Avenged; Luischen; The Road to the Churchyard; Gladius Dei; Fiorenza; The Hungry; The Child Prodigy; Ein Glück; At the Prophet's; Schwere Stunde; Anekdote; Railway Accident; The Fight between Jappe and the Do Escobar; A Man and His Dog; Gesang vom Kindchen; The Blood of the Walsungs; Disorder and Early Sorrow; The Transposed Heads; The Tables of the Law; The Black Swan; Versuch über das Theater; Die Lösung der Judenfrage; Zur jüdischen Frage; Goethe and Tolstoi; The German Republic; Über die Lehre Spenglers; An Appeal To Reason; Sufferings and Greatness of Richard Wagner

Legacy Highlights

Honors & Awards

Commander of the Order of Orange-Nassau · Feltrinelli Prize · Goethe Medal for Art and Science · Goethe Plaque of the City of Frankfurt · Goethe Prize of the City of Frankfurt · honorary citizen of Lübeck · honorary doctor of ETH Zürich · honorary doctor of Harvard University · honorary doctor of Rutgers University · honorary doctor of the University of Bonn · honorary doctor of the University of Jena · Honorary doctor of the University of Oxford · honorary doctor of Yale University · honorary doctorate from Columbia University · honorary doctorate from Princeton University · honorary doctorate from the University of Cambridge · honorary doctorate of Lund University · Nobel Prize in Literature · Officer of the Legion of Honour · Order of Orange-Nassau · Pour le Mérite · Pour le Mérite for Sciences and Arts order · Taylorian Lecture

Church

Lutheranism

Employer

Princeton University · Simplicissimus

Organizations & Memberships

Academy of Arts of the GDR · Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei · American Academy of Arts and Letters · American Academy of Arts and Sciences · American Philosophical Society · Bavarian Academy of Fine Arts

Notable Work

A Man and His Dog · An Appeal To Reason · Anekdote · At the Prophet's · Avenged · Buddenbrooks · Confessions of Felix Krull · Death in Venice · Der Tod · Die Lösung der Judenfrage · Disillusionment · Disorder and Early Sorrow · Doctor Faustus · Ein Glück · Fiorenza · Gefallen · Gesang vom Kindchen · Gladius Dei · Goethe and Tolstoi · Joseph and His Brothers · Little Herr Friedemann · Lotte in Weimar: The Beloved Returns · Luischen · Mario and the Magician · Railway Accident · Reflections of an Unpolitical Man · Royal Highness · Schwere Stunde · Sufferings and Greatness of Richard Wagner · The Black Swan · The Blood of the Walsungs · The Child Prodigy · The Clown · The Fight between Jappe and the Do Escobar · The German Republic · The Holy Sinner · The Hungry · The Magic Mountain · The Road to the Churchyard · The Tables of the Law · The Transposed Heads · The Wardrobe · The Will to Happiness · Tobias Mindernickel · Tonio Kröger · Tristan · Über die Lehre Spenglers · Versuch über das Theater · Vision · Zur jüdischen Frage

Education & Institutions

Katharineum · Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München · Technical University of Munich

Verified Legacy Record

Sources & Provenance

  1. Wikidata population candidate Q37030 — wikidata View source

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