Thomas Mann

Biography

Thomas Mann was born on June 6, 1875, in Lübeck, Germany. He published his first book of short stories, Der kleine Herr Friedemann, in 1898, and his first novel, Buddenbrooks, in 1901, which went on to earn the author international acclaim. More books followed over the years, including a verse-based drama, the novella Death in Venice, and a series of novels depicting the story of Joseph from the Bible. 

In 1929, Mann was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. In the late 1930s, he and his wife Katja Pringsheim relocated to the United States, with Mann taking on a lecture position at Princeton University. An outspoken opponent of fascism and Nazism, he continued to write until his death on August 12, 1955, in Zurich, Switzerland.

Childhood & Early Life
Paul Thomas Mann was born on June 6, 1875 in Free City of Lübeck, German Empire. He was the second son of Thomas Johann Mann and Julia da Silva Bruhns.

His father was a senator and grain merchant who followed the Lutheran religion. His mother was a Brazilian of German and Portuguese ancestry and followed the Roman Catholic faith.

He completed his schooling from the science division of Lubeck Gymnasium School with great difficulty, and then spent time at the Ludwig Maximillians University of Munich and Technical University of Munich.

He studied history, economics, art history and literature at the university to educate himself about the happenings around, in preparation for his career in journalism.

Career
Mann lived the major part of his adult life in Munich. He started his career with the South German Fire Insurance Company, after the family grain business was liquidated, following his father’s death.

He started his writing career when he began writing for simplicissimus. His first published work was the short story ‘Little Mr.Friedemann’ in 1898.

In 1901, the epic Buddenbrooks was published and gave him popular recognition. The inspiration for the story was his family. It paints the picture of the decline of a merchant family over three generations.

The tetralogy ‘Joseph and his brothers’ is the largest and most noteworthy of Mann’s works. It is an epic novel which was written over a period of nineteen years.

His first collection of stories ‘Der Kleine Herr Friedemann’ was published in 1898. The success and popularity of his first publication motivated him to write more novellas.

When in Rome, he began to write the novel ‘Buddenbrooks’ which was published in 1901. This is the all time favourite of the German public - even today over a million copies are in circulation.