“The hell, Germans, came upon you.” Thomas Mann’s message in his radio addresses to the Germans, recorded by himself and broadcast via the BBC between 1940 and 1945, was always clear, relentless, and uncompromising. His mission was just as clear: the 58 addresses are a unique document of resistance against the Nazi terror regime and a powerful plea for humanism and democratic renewal. They were also an unsuccessful wake-up call to a country committed to delusion and destruction.
For Thomas Mann’s 150th birthday, Thomas Mann House and Deutschlandradio bring these speeches and their appeal into the present: What messages do they hold for today? What warnings should we still heed? Fifteen selected speeches, newly recorded by Sandra Hüller, are met with responses from contemporary authors and public figures such as Michel Friedmann, Navid Kermani, Charlotte Knobloch, Nicola Leibinger-Kammüller, and Düzen Tekkal. They examine the speeches for their relevance and perspective, engage in dialogue across the decades, and draw parallels to potentially recurring developments. What impact can Mann’s appeals still have today-especially as democratic values come under pressure worldwide and authoritarian movements gain strength?
