The brilliance of Paul Thomas Mann, born 6 June 1875 in Lübeck, was already evident in his early creative phase: he demonstrated flashes of genius in his prose sketches and essays whilst still a schoolboy, before signing a letter with “Thomas Mann. Lyrical dramatic poet” at the age of just 14. He was, however, to be proved right: he had barely begun as a trainee in an insurance company when he made his writing debut with the published novella “Gefallen”, which earned him widespread acclaim. Encouraged by this critical success, Mann decided to commit to a career as a writer.
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In 1901, aged just 26, he completed his famous family saga “Buddenbrooks”, a masterpiece of linguistic artistry and cunning irony. This epic novel, translated into over 40 languages, has cast its spell over more than 6 million readers to date. The novel won its author the 1929 Nobel Prize for Literature.
Literary masterpieces, such as the gloomy novella “Death in Venice”, earned Thomas Mann the reputation of being the grand master of irony and literary Mannerism. As a bourgeois free-thinker and conservative innovator during the Art Deco era, he was one of the most prominent opponents of National Socialism.
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In 1938, his democratic persuasion prompted him to flee to the US in exile with his family, where he remained until 1952 before returning to Europe and spending his twilight years in Switzerland. Three years later, on 12 August 1955, Thomas Mann died in Zurich, aged 80. His oeuvre includes a large number of novels and novellas, essays, autobiographical pieces, political manifestos and film adaptations. Thomas Mann remains one of the most remarkable and passionate authors in the history of German literature.
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