Luiz Heinrich Mann (; 27 March 1871 – 11 March 1950), best known as simply Heinrich Mann, was a German

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

known for his

socio-political Political sociology is an interdisciplinary field of study concerned with exploring how governance and society interact and influence one another at the micro to macro levels of analysis. Interested in the social causes and consequences of how ...

novels. From 1930 until 1933, he was president of the fine poetry division of the

Prussian Academy of Arts The Prussian Academy of Arts (German: ''Preußische Akademie der Künste'') was a state arts academy first established in Berlin, Brandenburg, in 1694/1696 by prince-elector Frederick III, in personal union Duke Frederick I of Prussia, and late ...

. His fierce criticism of the growing

Fascism Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy an ...

and

Nazism Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Na ...

forced him to flee Germany after the Nazis came to power during 1933. He was the elder brother of writer

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 ...

Early life

Born in

Lübeck Lübeck (; Low German also ), officially the Hanseatic City of Lübeck (german: Hansestadt Lübeck), is a city in Northern Germany. With around 217,000 inhabitants, Lübeck is the second-largest city on the German Baltic coast and in the stat ...

, as the oldest child of Senator Thomas Johann Heinrich Mann,

grain merchant The grain trade refers to the local and international trade in cereals and other food grains such as wheat, barley, maize, and rice. Grain is an important trade item because it is easily stored and transported with limited spoilage, unlike other ...

and finance minister of the Free City of Lübeck, a state of the

German Empire The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...

, and

Júlia da Silva Bruhns Júlia da Silva Bruhns (August 14, 1851March 11, 1923) was a German-Brazilian writer. She was the wife of the Lübeck senator and grain merchant Johann Heinrich Mann, and also mother of writers Thomas Mann and Heinrich Mann. Biography Júlia ...

. He was the elder brother of the writer

with whom he had a lifelong rivalry. The

Mann family The Mann family ( , ; ) is the most famous German novelists' dynasty. History Originally the Manns were merchants, allegedly already in the 16th century in Nuremberg, documented since 1611 in Parchim, since 1713 in Rostock and since 1775 in ...

was an

affluent Wealth is the abundance of valuable financial assets or physical possessions which can be converted into a form that can be used for transactions. This includes the core meaning as held in the originating Old English word , which is from an I ...

family of grain merchants of the

Hanseatic The Hanseatic League (; gml, Hanse, , ; german: label=German language, Modern German, Deutsche Hanse) was a Middle Ages, medieval commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Central Europe, Central and Norther ...

city of Lübeck. After the death of his father, his mother relocated the family to

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

, where Heinrich began his career as a ''freier Schriftsteller'' (free novelist).

Work

Mann's essay on

Émile Zola Émile Édouard Charles Antoine Zola (, also , ; 2 April 184029 September 1902) was a French novelist, journalist, playwright, the best-known practitioner of the literary school of naturalism, and an important contributor to the development of ...

and the novel ''

Der Untertan ''Der Untertan'' (; literally "the underling", translated into English under the titles ''Man of Straw'', ''The Patrioteer'', and ''The Loyal Subject'') is one of the best known novels of German author Heinrich Mann. The title character, Diederic ...

'' (published over the years 1912-1918) earned him much respect during the

Weimar Republic The Weimar Republic (german: link=no, Weimarer Republik ), officially named the German Reich, was the government of Germany from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a constitutional federal republic for the first time in history; hence it is al ...

, since they satirized Imperial German society. Later, in 1930, his book ''

Professor Unrat ''Professor Unrat, oder Das Ende eines Tyrannen'' (1905, trans. by Ernest Boyd as ''Small Town Tyrant''), which translates as "Professor Unclean", Herman G. Weinberg, 1967. p. 48 (footnote): "In German, the name "Rat" has the connotation of "couns ...

'' was freely adapted into the movie ''

Der Blaue Engel ''The Blue Angel'' (german: Der blaue Engel) is a 1930 German musical comedy-drama film directed by Josef von Sternberg, and starring Marlene Dietrich, Emil Jannings and Kurt Gerron. Written by Carl Zuckmayer, Karl Vollmöller and Robert Lie ...

'' (''The Blue Angel'').

Carl Zuckmayer Carl Zuckmayer (27 December 1896 – 18 January 1977) was a German writer and playwright. His older brother was the pedagogue, composer, conductor, and pianist Eduard Zuckmayer. Life and career Born in Nackenheim in Rhenish Hesse, he was t ...

wrote the script, and

Josef von Sternberg Josef von Sternberg (; born Jonas Sternberg; May 29, 1894 – December 22, 1969) was an Austrian-American filmmaker whose career successfully spanned the transition from the silent to the sound era, during which he worked with most of the major ...

was the director. Mann wanted his paramour, the actress

Trude Hesterberg Trude Hesterberg (2 May 1892 – 31 August 1967) was a German film actress. She appeared in 89 films between 1917 and 1964. Selected filmography * '' The Rosentopf Case'' (1918) * ''The Story of a Maid'' (1921) * ''Fridericus Rex'' (1922) ...

, to play the main female part as the "actress" Lola Lola (named Rosa Fröhlich in the novel), but

Marlene Dietrich Marie Magdalene "Marlene" DietrichBorn as Maria Magdalena, not Marie Magdalene, according to Dietrich's biography by her daughter, Maria Riva ; however Dietrich's biography by Charlotte Chandler cites "Marie Magdalene" as her birth name . (, ; ...

was given the part, her first sound role. Together with

Albert Einstein Albert Einstein ( ; ; 14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist, widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest and most influential physicists of all time. Einstein is best known for developing the theory ...

and other celebrities during 1932, Mann was a signatory to the "

Urgent Call for Unity The "Urgent Call for Unity" (german: Dringender Appell für die Einheit) was an appeal by the Internationaler Sozialistischer Kampfbund (ISK) to defeat the National Socialist German Workers Party. It was signed by nearly three dozen well-known Germa ...

", asking the voters to reject the Nazis. Einstein and Mann had previously co-authored a letter during 1931 condemning the murder of

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

n scholar

Milan Šufflay Milan Šufflay (8 November 1879 – 19 February 1931) was a Croatian historian and politician. He was one of the founders of Albanology and the author of the first Croatian science fiction novel. As a Croatian nationalist, he was persecuted in th ...

. Mann became ''

persona non grata In diplomacy, a ' (Latin: "person not welcome", plural: ') is a status applied by a host country to foreign diplomats to remove their protection of diplomatic immunity from arrest and other types of prosecution. Diplomacy Under Article 9 of the ...

'' in

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

and left even before the

Reichstag fire The Reichstag fire (german: Reichstagsbrand, ) was an arson attack on the Reichstag building, home of the German parliament in Berlin, on Monday 27 February 1933, precisely four weeks after Nazi leader Adolf Hitler was sworn in as Chancellor of ...

of 1933. He went to France where he lived in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

and

Nice Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative c ...

. During the German occupation, he made his way to

Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...

, where he was aided by

Varian Fry Varian Mackey Fry (October 15, 1907 – September 13, 1967) was an American journalist. Fry ran a rescue network in Vichy France that helped approximately 2,000 to 4,000 anti-Nazi and Jewish refugees to escape Nazi Germany and the Holocaust ...

in September 1940 to escape to Spain. Assisted by

Justus Rosenberg Justus Rosenberg (January 23, 1921 – October 30, 2021) was a literature professor who spent most of his life teaching in the United States, ending his career as a professor emeritus of languages and literature at Bard College. Before that, as a t ...

, he and his wife Nelly Kröger, his nephew

Golo Mann Golo Mann (born Angelus Gottfried Thomas Mann; 27 March 1909 – 7 April 1994) was a popular German historian and essayist. Having completed a doctorate in philosophy under Karl Jaspers at Heidelberg, in 1933 he fled Hitler's Germany. He followe ...

Alma Mahler-Werfel Alma Maria Mahler Gropius Werfel (born Alma Margaretha Maria Schindler; 31 August 1879 – 11 December 1964) was an Austrian composer, author, editor, and socialite. At 15, she was mentored by Max Burckhard. Musically active from her early year ...

and

Franz Werfel Franz Viktor Werfel (; 10 September 1890 – 26 August 1945) was an Austrian-Bohemian novelist, playwright, and Poetry, poet whose career spanned World War I, the Interwar period, and World War II. He is primarily known as the author of ''Th ...

hiked for six hours across the border at Port Bou. After arriving in Portugal, the group stayed in Monte Estoril, at the Grande Hotel D’Itália, between 18 September and 4 October 1940.

Exiles Memorial Center The Exiles Memorial Center ( pt, Espaço Memória dos Exílios) is located in Estoril, Portugal and houses a permanent exhibition of photographs, documentation and objects related to the history of refugees who stayed in the Cascais/Estoril area o ...

. On 4 October 1940, they boarded the '' S.S. Nea Hellas'', headed for New York City. The Nazis burnt Heinrich Mann's books as "contrary to the German spirit" during the infamous book burning of May 10, 1933, which was instigated by the then Nazi propaganda minister

Joseph Goebbels Paul Joseph Goebbels (; 29 October 1897 – 1 May 1945) was a German Nazi politician who was the ''Gauleiter'' (district leader) of Berlin, chief propagandist for the Nazi Party, and then Reich Minister of Propaganda from 1933 to 19 ...

Later life

During the 1930s and later in American exile, Mann's literary popularity waned. Nevertheless, he wrote ''Die Jugend des Königs Henri Quatre'' and ''Die Vollendung des Königs Henri Quatre'' as part of the

Exilliteratur German ''Exilliteratur'' (, ''exile literature'') is the name for works of German literature written in the German diaspora by refugee authors who fled from Nazi Germany, Nazi Austria, and the occupied territories between 1933 and 1945. These dis ...

. The two novels described the life and importance of

Henry IV of France Henry IV (french: Henri IV; 13 December 1553 – 14 May 1610), also known by the epithets Good King Henry or Henry the Great, was King of Navarre (as Henry III) from 1572 and King of France from 1589 to 1610. He was the first monarc ...

and were acclaimed by his brother Thomas Mann, who spoke of the "great splendour and dynamic art" of the work. The plot, based on Europe's early

modern history The term modern period or modern era (sometimes also called modern history or modern times) is the period of history that succeeds the Middle Ages (which ended approximately 1500 AD). This terminology is a historical periodization that is applie ...

from a French perspective, anticipated the end of

French–German enmity French–German (Franco-German) enmity (french: Rivalité franco-allemande, german: Deutsch–französische Erbfeindschaft) was the idea of unavoidably hostile relations and mutual revanchism between Germans (including Austrians) and French peop ...

. His second wife, (1898–1944), committed suicide in Los Angeles. Heinrich Mann died on March 11, 1950, sixteen days before his 79th birthday, in

Santa Monica, California Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...

, lonely and without much money, just months before he was to relocate to East Berlin to become president of the

German Academy of Arts 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 **Ge ...

. His ashes were later taken to

East Germany East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...

and were interred at the

Dorotheenstadt Cemetery The Dorotheenstadt Cemetery, officially the Cemetery of the Dorotheenstadt and Friedrichswerder Parishes, is a landmarked Protestant burial ground located in the Berlin district of Mitte which dates to the late 18th century. The entrance to the ...

in a grave of honor.

Popular culture

Mann was portrayed by

Alec Guinness Sir Alec Guinness (born Alec Guinness de Cuffe; 2 April 1914 – 5 August 2000) was an English actor. After an early career on the stage, Guinness was featured in several of the Ealing comedies, including ''Kind Hearts and Coronets'' (194 ...

in the television adaptation of

Christopher Hampton Sir Christopher James Hampton ( Horta, Azores, 26 January 1946) is a British playwright, screenwriter, translator and film director. He is best known for his play ''Les Liaisons Dangereuses'' based on the novel of the same name and the film ...

's play ''Tales from Hollywood'' (1992). In ''

Die Manns – Ein Jahrhundertroman ''Die Manns – Ein Jahrhundertroman'' (; ''The Manns – Novel of a Century'') is a 2001 German Docudrama- miniseries directed by Heinrich Breloer. The miniseries is divided in three parts and tells the story of the Mann family, a family of fam ...

'' (2001) he was played by

Jürgen Hentsch Jürgen Hentsch (March 17, 1936 in Görlitz – December 21, 2011 in Berlin) was a German actor. He was known for several movies and TV shows such as ''The Deathmaker'' (1995), ''In the Shadow of Power'' (2003) and ''Der Mann mit der Maske'' (1994 ...

Film adaptations

*''

The Blue Angel ''The Blue Angel'' (german: Der blaue Engel) is a 1930 German musical comedy-drama film directed by Josef von Sternberg, and starring Marlene Dietrich, Emil Jannings and Kurt Gerron. Written by Carl Zuckmayer, Karl Vollmöller and Robert Lie ...

'', directed by

(Germany, 1930, based on the novel ''

'') *''

'', directed by Wolfgang Staudte (East Germany, 1951, based on the novel ''

'') *''

'', directed by

Edward Dmytryk Edward Dmytryk (September 4, 1908 – July 1, 1999) was an American film director. He was known for his 1940s films noir, noir films and received an Academy Award for Best Director, Oscar nomination for Best Director for ''Crossfire (film), Cros ...

(USA, 1959, based on the novel ''

'') *''Madame Legros'', directed by

Michael Kehlmann Michael Kehlmann (21 September 1927 – 1 December 2005) was an Austrian television film director and theatre director, screenwriter and actor. During 1951–1953, Kehlmann was the manager of the "Kleines Theater im Konzerthaus", Vienna. He was awa ...

(West Germany, 1968, TV film, based on the play ''Madame Legros'') *'' Man of Straw'', directed by

Herbert Wise Herbert Wise (31 August 1924 – 5 August 2015) was an Austrian-born film and television producer and director. He was born as Herbert Weisz in Vienna, Austria, and began his career as a director at Shrewsbury Repertory Company in 1950. He was at ...

(UK, 1972, TV miniseries, based on the novel ''

'') *''Im Schlaraffenland'', directed by

Kurt Jung-Alsen Kurt Jung-Alsen (18 June 1915 – 20 December 1976) was a German film director and screenwriter. He directed 24 films between 1954 and 1976. Selected filmography * ''The Call of the Sea'' (1951) * ''Duped Till Doomsday'' (1957) * ''Poloni ...

(East Germany, 1975, TV film, based on the novel ''Im Schlaraffenland'') *''Belcanto oder Darf eine Nutte schluchzen?'', directed by

Robert van Ackeren Robert van Ackeren (born 22 December 1946) is a German movie director, actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern ...

(West Germany, 1977, based on the novel ''Empfang bei der Welt'') *''Die Verführbaren'', directed by (East Germany, 1977, TV film, based on the novel ''Ein ernstes Leben'') *', directed by

Marcel Camus Marcel may refer to: People * Marcel (given name), people with the given name Marcel * Marcel (footballer, born August 1981), Marcel Silva Andrade, Brazilian midfielder * Marcel (footballer, born November 1981), Marcel Augusto Ortolan, Brazilian s ...

and (France, 1979, TV miniseries, based on the novel ''Die Jugend des Königs Henri Quatre'') *''Im Schlaraffenland'', directed by

Fritz Umgelter Fritz Umgelter (18 August 1922 – 9 May 1981) was a German television director, television writer, and film director. Umgelter worked mainly in television as both a writer and director. He received directing credit for 68 TV films or series, a ...

(West Germany, 1981, TV film, based on the novel ''Im Schlaraffenland'') *''Suturp – Eine Liebesgeschichte'', directed by Gerd Keil (East Germany, 1981, TV film, based on the short story ''Suturp'') *', directed by Alexander Lang (East Germany, 1983, TV film, based on the unfinished ''Die traurige Geschichte von Friedrich dem Großen'') *''Varieté'', directed by (East Germany, 1985, TV film, based on the play ''Varieté'') *', directed by (Germany, 1992, TV film, based on the novel ''Ein ernstes Leben'') *'' Henri 4'', directed by

Jo Baier Jo Baier (born 13 February 1949) is a German film director and writer. He directed more than twenty films since 1982 and is known for '' Operation Valkyrie'' (2004), '' Henri 4'' (2010) and ' (2006). He is married to Gertrud Baier. Early life an ...

(Germany, 2010, based on the novels ''Die Jugend des Königs Henri Quatre'' and ''Die Vollendung des Königs Henri Quatre'')

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mann, Heinrich 1871 births 1950 deaths Writers from Lübeck 20th-century German novelists German essayists German biographers Male biographers German poets 19th-century German writers Exilliteratur writers German World War I poets German pacifists German people of Brazilian descent People of the Weimar Republic

Heinrich Heinrich may refer to: People * Heinrich (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) * Heinrich (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) *Hetty (given name), a given name (including a list of peo ...

German expatriates in the United States Recipients of the National Prize of East Germany 20th-century biographers German male essayists German male poets German male novelists German anti-fascists 19th-century essayists 20th-century essayists 19th-century German male writers 20th-century German male writers