When a Desk Tells a Story

| Anna Piwowarska
Essay

On the 150th anniversary of Thomas Mann’s birth, I visit his “handsome desk”—a piece of furniture that quietly chronicles his exile and writing rituals.

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Thomas Manns Arbeitszimmer in Kilchberg (Alte Landstrasse 39) Beschreibung: Schreibtisch.
Thomas Manns Arbeitszimmer in Kilchberg (Alte Landstrasse 39) Beschreibung: Schreibtisch.

Between Politics and Letters: Edvard Beneš, Czechoslovakia, and Thomas Mann’s Idea of Democracy

| Jan Vondráček
Essay

On March 15, 1939, as German troops occupied Prague, Thomas Mann met with former Czechoslovak President Edvard Beneš in Chicago. Historian Jan Vondráček explores the intellectual and personal ties between Mann and Beneš—highlighting not only Beneš’s crucial role in securing Czechoslovak citizenship for Mann, but also his often-overlooked influence on Mann’s evolving vision of democracy.

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Interview with the costume designer Lara Marie Kainz

| by Marie Limbourg
Interview

Felix Krull is an impostor, a seducer, a master of staging - and like his creator Thomas Mann, he straddles the line between truth and façade. Anyone staging him on film not only has to think his character, but also dress him. In this interview, costume designer Lara Marie Kainz talks about her work on the hybrid documentary “Confessions of Thomas Mann the Impostor”, about playful processes, intuitive decisions - and about how a suit becomes a character. An approach to the exterior of a figure whose interior reveals so much about its author.

The interview was conducted by Marie Limbourg, research assistant at the Buddenbrockhaus Lübeck, with costume designer Lara Marie Kainz.

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Why Did You Adapt Thomas Mann? Artists respond

| by Timo Daus and Marlene Hartmann
Survey

Why do artists across disciplines — from playwrights and choreographers to filmmakers and novelists — keep returning to Thomas Mann? As the world marks his 150th birthday, a new survey by Marlene Hartmann of the Buddenbrookhaus in Lübeck and Timo Daus of Humboldt University in Berlin explores what makes Mann’s work so enduring, adaptable, and urgent. In this special feature, creators reflect on why they chose to reinterpret Mann — revealing how his complex characters, existential uncertainties, and timeless questions continue to inspire bold new adaptations for the stage, screen, and beyond.

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Between two Worlds. Bourgeois and Artist Thomas Mann

| by Gina Arzdorf
Essay

Thomas Mann lived-and wrote-at the crossroads of bourgeois respectability and artistic rebellion. In this fresh essay from ZEITGEISTER, the Goethe-Institut’s culture magazine, Gina Arzdorf traces how Mann’s own divided loyalties shaped both his unforgettable characters and his restless sense of self. The result? A portrait of a Nobel laureate whose work still speaks to anyone navigating the tension between convention and creativity.

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The Devil in Palestrina: Thomas Mann’s Italian Secret

| by Matthias Lohre
Essay

What if a summer in Italy changed not just the life of young Thomas Mann, but the course of world literature?

Matthias Lohre traces how a drifting, emotionally fragile 21-year-old—wilting in the summer heat of Palestrina—experienced a vision that would ultimately propel him to the Nobel Prize. This is a story of longing and conflict, of an interior life rich with shadows and sparks, from which BUDDENBROOKS—and a literary century—would emerge.

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Clean Girl Vibes: Thomas Mann, the OG of Effortless Elegance

| by Marie Limbourg
Listicle

The Clean Girl aesthetic has been ruling our feeds, from TikTok to Instagram—think polished minimalism, flawless skin, and an “I-woke-up-like-this” vibe that’s both timeless and impossibly chic. But here’s the twist: long before social media turned this look into a lifestyle, one man was already serving Clean Girl perfection. And no, it’s not some old Hollywood heartthrob—it’s Thomas Mann.

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“No coughing in the presence of THE MAGIC MOUNTAIN” - A Twitter Account's Fresh Take on Thomas Mann

| by Mirko Lux
Interview

Thomas Mann – more of a whining procrastinator than a disciplined genius? Doctoral student Felix Lindner turned the Nobel laureate's intimate self-doubts into a viral phenomenon on Twitter: His account @DailyMann reached over 32,000 followers. In this interview, he discusses how his dissertation became a book and the poster campaign for MANN 2025 – and why Mann's struggles with writing make him so surprisingly relatable.

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Short Form Magician: These novellas and short stories by Thomas Mann will enchant you

| by Thomas Mann International
Listicle

Think Thomas Mann is all about dense novels and lofty ideas? His novellas and short stories prove otherwise. From tragic to humorous, these tales offer bite-sized brilliance that’s perfect for beginners. Dive into Mann’s world with ten accessible stories. From tragic beauty to biting irony, these tales will leave you spellbound and eager for more.

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Being Bi. Mixed-race and mixed-up with Thomas Mann

| by Mithu Sanyal
Essay

Thomas Mann had a secret: his mother, Julia da Silva-Bruhns, was Brazilian, with roots in Afro-Brazilian culture and colonial history. In her essay, acclaimed writer Mithu Sanyal (IDENTITTI) unravels this suppressed family history, showing how colonialism, slavery, and cultural erasure shaped Mann’s work… and Germany’s entire literary canon.

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Julia Mann-da Silva Bruhns hält Julia Mann auf den Armen, daneben stehen Heinrich Mann und Thomas Mann.
Julia Mann-da Silva Bruhns hält Julia Mann auf den Armen, daneben stehen Heinrich Mann und Thomas Mann.

What is good and what is evil

| by Kai Sina
Essay

Berlin, Autumn 1930: Thomas Mann steps into the Beethoven Hall—not as an artist, but as a resolute defender of democracy. His speech is a fervent warning against National Socialism, a clear denunciation of fanaticism and propaganda. Yet the disruptors in the audience leave no doubt: the battle had already begun. Kai Sina explores why Thomas Manns warnings still resonate today.

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Thomas Mann hält einen Vortrag in New York (ca. 1937). Er steht am Rednerpult, im Halbprofil nach links, trägt eine Brille und formt mit der rechten Hand eine Geste. Fotografiert von Eric Schaal.
Thomas Mann hält einen Vortrag in New York (ca. 1937). Er steht am Rednerpult, im Halbprofil nach links, trägt eine Brille und formt mit der rechten Hand eine Geste. Fotografiert von Eric Schaal.

Heightened States: Father John Misty on top of MAGIC MOUNTAIN

| by Mirko Lux
Essay

Father John Misty’s song SO I'M GROWING OLD ON MAGIC MOUNTAIN draws on the timeless themes of Thomas Mann’s THE MAGIC MOUNTAIN—youth, transience, and the search for meaning. The pop song bridges the worlds of music and literature, breathing new life into Mann’s classic in a profoundly modern way.

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Historische Postkarte von Dr. Turbans Sanatorium Davos (Fotopostkarte, koloriert und verfremdet)
Historische Postkarte von Dr. Turbans Sanatorium Davos (Fotopostkarte, koloriert und verfremdet)

MANN 2025: A Global Celebration of Literary Grandeur

| by Thomas Mann International
Essay

Whether A MAN AND HIS DOG or DOCTOR FAUSTUS: 2025 will be a year celebrating Thomas Mann in all his facets—with his signature irony, psychological depth, and yes, those famously long sentences. From Lübeck to Los Angeles, we'll mark his 150th anniversary with fitting grandeur. Join this global celebration at Mann2025.de and discover fresh perspectives on his enduring legacy.

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In Blumenbüschen stehend, mit Brille und Hut in den Händen, sich eine Margerite ansteckend.
In Blumenbüschen stehend, mit Brille und Hut in den Händen, sich eine Margerite ansteckend.