![Ida Herz [?] und Katia Mann, in Korbstühlen sitzend, hinter ihnen stehend Thomas Mann. Aus einem Familienalbum.](https://mann2025.de/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/tma-al7-6158-2-d6557f767f2b10acb4ace43696c9b9dc-400x390.jpg)
The bookseller Ida Herz, a Jewish woman from Nuremberg, was Thomas Mann's most devoted reader and first archivist. Though the Mann family occasionally teased her as "little Herz," everyone knew her loyalty was absolute. Thomas Mann often turned to her for assistance. He showed concern for her fate in exile, confided in her through letters, and immortalized her in "Doctor Faustus." Ida Herz said of Thomas Mann: "He was my best friend." Yet theirs was an unequal friendship—a tale of passionate devotion that ended in bitter disappointment. More than 400 letters document this remarkable relationship, which extended to include Katia Mann.
In a conversation with Dr. Tobias Amslinger (Head of Literary Archives, ETH Library), editor Dr. Holger Pils will present his edition of the correspondence between Ida Herz and Thomas and Katia Mann (published by S. Fischer Verlag). Original letters from the Thomas Mann Archive will be on display.
