''Confessions of Felix Krull'' () is an unfinished 1954 novel by the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

author

Thomas Mann Paul Thomas Mann ( , ; ; 6 June 1875 – 12 August 1955) was a German novelist, short story writer, social critic, philanthropist, essayist, and the 1929 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate. His highly symbolic and ironic epic novels and novella ...

Synopsis

The novel is narrated by the protagonist, an impostor and adventurer named Felix Krull, the son of a ruined Rhineland winemaker. Felix avoids military service and makes his way to France, where he takes a job in a prestigious hotel, first as an elevator operator, then as a waiter. Deftly using his natural charm, good looks, and subtle intelligence, the young man easily wins the heart of a rich writer, as well as part of her money. Later, Krull meets the young Marquis de Venosta and undertakes to help him in his love affairs; he substitutes for the Marquis on a trip around the world.

Background

The novel is a parody of

Goethe Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as treat ...

's autobiography '' Poetry and Truth'', particularly in its pompous tone. The original title is ''Bekenntnisse des Hochstaplers Felix Krull. Der Memoiren, erster Teil'', translated a year later in English as ''Confessions of Felix Krull, Confidence Man: The Early Years.'' Mann had planned the novel since 1905, being inspired by the Romanian con artist Georges Manolescu's autobiographies ''Fürst der Diebe'' (''A Prince of Thieves'') and ''Gescheitert'' (''Failed''). Originally the character of Felix Krull appeared in a short story written in 1911. The story was not published until 1937, in the book '' Stories of Three Decades'', along with 23 other stories written between 1896 and 1929, the year in which he was awarded the

Nobel Prize for Literature ) , image = Nobel Prize.png , caption = , awarded_for = Outstanding contributions in literature , presenter = Swedish Academy , holder = Annie Ernaux (2022) , location = Stockholm, Sweden , year = 1901 , ...

. Much later, Mann expanded the story and managed to finish and publish part one of the ''Confessions of Felix Krull'' but due to his death in 1955, the saga of Felix, the morally flexible and irresistible conman remains unfinished.

Adaptations

The book was adapted into a film in 1957, with a screenplay by

Erika Mann Erika Julia Hedwig Mann (9 November 1905 – 27 August 1969) was a German actress and writer, daughter of the novelist Thomas Mann. Erika lived a bohemian lifestyle in Berlin and became a critic of National Socialism. After Hitler came to power ...

and

Robert Thoeren Robert Thoeren (1903–1957) was a German screenwriter and film actor. Thoeren was born in Moravia, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. After the First World War the German-speaking Thoeren emigrated to Germany where he became a theatre an ...

, directed by

Kurt Hoffmann Kurt Hoffmann (12 November 1910 – 25 June 2001) was a German film director, the son of Carl Hoffmann. He directed 48 films between 1938 and 1971. He ran a production company Independent Film along with Heinz Angermeyer. His 1958 film ''W ...

, and starring

Horst Buchholz Horst Werner Buchholz (4 December 1933 – 3 March 2003) was a German actor who appeared in more than 60 feature films from 1951 to 2002. During his youth, he was sometimes called "the German James Dean". He is perhaps best known in English- ...

as Krull alongside

Liselotte Pulver Liselotte Pulver (born 11 October 1929), sometimes credited as Lilo Pulver, is a Swiss actress. Pulver was one of the biggest stars of German cinema in the 1950s and 1960s, where she often was cast as a tomboy. She is well known for her hearty an ...

. A spoken word adaptation of chapters 1, 2, 3 and 5 from the first book (''dem Buch der Kindheit'') of ''Felix Krull'' performed by O.E. Hasse, was included as a companion disk to the 1965

Teldec Teldec (Telefunken-Decca Schallplatten GmbH) is a German record label in Hamburg, Germany. Today the label is a property of Warner Music Group. History Teldec was a producer of (first) shellac and (later) vinyl records. The Teldec manufacturing ...

(Telefunken-Decca) release of ''Schwere Stunde'' (performed by Thomas Mann). A television miniseries was directed in 1982 by Bernhard Sinkel, starring

John Moulder-Brown John Moulder-Brown (born 3 June 1953) is an English actor of television and film, known for his appearances in the films '' Deep End'', ''First Love'', '' Ludwig'' and '' The House That Screamed''. Biography Moulder-Brown was born in London an ...

Notes

References

*Luis Montiel. ''Told by a myth : Thomas Mann’s Felix Krull''. Culture & History Digital Journal 2(2), December 2013, e029, eISSN 2253-797X *Ernest Schonfield (2008
''Art and its uses in Thomas Mann's Felix Krull''
*Schwarz, Egon (2004) ''Felix Krull'' in Lehnert, Herbert and Wessell, Eva (2004
''A companion to the works of Thomas Mann''
pp. 257–269 *Mann, Thomas and Amann, Paul (1960
''Letters to Paul Amann, 1915-1952''
{{Authority control 1954 novels German novels adapted into films Novels by Thomas Mann Unfinished novels