When Thomas Mann, at twenty-one, embarks on the long-awaited Italian journey with his older brother Heinrich in 1896, he can't shake the thought of his childhood friend Ilse Martens. He hopes to find the stability he so desperately craves with her. If only it weren't for that melancholic-looking youth. He can't stop thinking about him since crossing paths in Venice. If only he were as confident and determined as Heinrich, who is already what Thomas aspires to be: a writer! Alone in Naples, he wants to discover what makes the young man sad and immortalize him in a novella. But instead of writing away this mysterious attraction, Thomas experiences something deeply shocking in the warm south that will change him forever.
In his new novel, Matthias Lohre brings us close to one of the greatest German writers of the 20th century: as an anxious young man searching for his place in life. "Devil's Brother" tells of coming of age, sibling rivalry, and the longing for love – exciting, mature, and beautiful.
Matthias Lohre is a writer, historian, and journalist. From 2005 to 2014, he worked as a political editor and columnist for taz in Berlin. His autobiographical non-fiction book "Das Erbe der Kriegsenkel" was a great success in 2016. The follow-up "Das Opfer ist der neue Held" (2019) was included in the Federal Agency for Civic Education's publication series. Lohre's articles on historical and socio-political topics appear in publications such as Die Zeit, Zeit Geschichte, Geo Epoche, and P.M. History.
Moderation: Marie Limbourg, Buddenbrookhaus
