Author
Thomas Mann
1875-1955
Thomas Mann (1875-1955) is a public-domain author available on Rivro. Read free books, explore subjects, and discover related classics.
Subjects
Books by Thomas Mann
Der Zauberberg. Erster Band
"Der Zauberberg. Erster Band" by Thomas Mann is a novel published in 1924. Young engineer Hans Castorp visits his cousin at a Swiss sanatorium in the mountains before 1914, planning to stay three weeks. The isolated world of illness enchants him, especially when he encounters the mysterious Russian woman Madame Chauchat. Surrounded by eccentric patients and drawn into debates about philosophy, politics, love, and death, Castorp finds himself staying far longer than intended, spellbound by the sanatorium's strange atmosphere.
Buddenbrooks: Verfall einer Familie
"Buddenbrooks: Verfall einer Familie" by Thomas Mann is a novel published in 1901. It chronicles the gradual decline of a wealthy north German merchant family across four generations, from 1835 to 1877. Drawing from Mann's own family history in Lübeck, the story explores conflicts between business duty and personal happiness as the Buddenbrooks face financial reverses and changing values during Germany's industrialization. Mann's first novel, written when he was twenty-six, became a literary success and earned him the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1929.
Der Zauberberg. Zweiter Band
"Der Zauberberg. Zweiter Band" by Thomas Mann is a novel published in 1924. Young engineer Hans Castorp visits his cousin at a Swiss sanatorium in the mountains before 1914, intending to stay three weeks. Enchanted by the isolated world of illness and its inhabitants, he remains far longer. There he encounters the humanist Settembrini, who becomes his philosophical mentor, and the captivating Russian woman Madame Chauchat, who awakens a dangerous fascination. In this removed realm, Castorp confronts politics, philosophy, love, disease, and death.
Death in Venice
"Death in Venice" by Thomas Mann is a novella published in 1912. It follows Gustav von Aschenbach, a disciplined writer in his fifties, who travels to Venice seeking respite. There, he becomes increasingly obsessed with Tadzio, a beautiful adolescent boy from a Polish family staying at his hotel. As Aschenbach's fascination intensifies, he abandons his former restraint and dignity. Meanwhile, a deadly cholera epidemic spreads through Venice—a danger he chooses to ignore rather than lose sight of the boy who has consumed his thoughts.
Der Tod in Venedig
"Der Tod in Venedig" by Thomas Mann is a novella written in 1911. It tells the story of Gustav von Aschenbach, a celebrated writer in his fifties who travels to Venice for rest. There, he becomes fascinated by a beautiful young boy staying at his hotel. As Aschenbach surrenders to his late-life infatuation, he abandons the strict discipline that defined his existence. Meanwhile, a cholera epidemic secretly spreads through the city, setting the stage for what Mann called "the tragedy of a degradation."
Buddenbrooks, volume 1 of 2
"Buddenbrooks, volume 1 of 2" by Thomas Mann is a novel published in 1901. It chronicles the decline of a wealthy north German merchant family across four generations, from 1835 to 1877. Drawing from Mann's own family history in Lübeck, the story explores conflicts between business and art, duty and personal happiness, as the Buddenbrook family's fortunes and ideals gradually erode amid Germany's rapid industrialization and changing values. Mann's first novel earned him the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1929.
Königliche Hoheit: Roman
"Königliche Hoheit: Roman" by Thomas Mann is a novel published in 1909. It follows Prince Klaus Heinrich, born with a physical disability, as he grows up in a financially troubled fictional German grand duchy. Isolated by his royal status and carefully groomed for ceremonial duties, the prince lives a life of symbolic existence rather than genuine human connection. His story intertwines personal development with political necessity when he falls in love with Imma Spoelmann, a wealthy heiress considered beneath his station, whose fortune may save both his heart and his struggling state.
Tonio Kröger
"Tonio Kröger" by Thomas Mann is a novella written in 1901. The story follows a man caught between two worlds: his merchant father's bourgeois respectability and his artistic mother's creative spirit. As Tonio grows from schoolboy to celebrated writer, he struggles with feeling both superior to and envious of ordinary people's innocent vitality. His journey from south to north Germany forces him to confront a troubling question: must the artist always remain an outsider to respectable society? Mann explores the costs of artistic life through this deeply autobiographical portrait.
Der kleine Herr Friedemann: Novellen
"Der kleine Herr Friedemann: Novellen" by Thomas Mann is a collection published in 1898. The title novella follows Johannes Friedemann, a man with a physical deformity who builds a carefully ordered life based on renunciation and small pleasures. For thirty years, he maintains emotional distance from romantic love. His fragile equilibrium shatters when Gerda von Rinnlingen, the young wife of a wealthy officer, arrives in town and awakens long-suppressed desires that threaten to destroy everything he has constructed.
Royal Highness
"Royal Highness" by Thomas Mann is a novel written in the early 20th century. The story revolves around Klaus Heinrich, the younger brother of Albrecht II, who struggles with the expectations of his royal status and the burdens that accompany it. The opening chapters introduce the reader to the royal family, the circumstances of Klaus Heinrich's birth, and the societal pressures that shape his identity. The beginning of the novel paints a vivid picture of the royal setting in which Klaus Heinrich exists; it contrasts the pomp and grandeur of his family's status with the underlying vulnerabilities, especially given his birth defect – a stunted hand. As the Grand Duke grapples with the implications of having a son who does not meet the ideal of imperfection, we see the challenges that Klaus Heinrich will face as he navigates the complexities of court life, familial roles, and the expectations placed on him as a member of the royal family. Through sweeping depictions of royal ceremonies and intimate moments within the castle, the opening sets the stage for a narrative steeped in themes of identity, duty, and the haunting pressures of expectation that accompany aristocracy.
Buddenbrooks, volume 2 of 2
"Buddenbrooks, volume 2 of 2" by Thomas Mann is a novel published in 1901. This volume continues the chronicle of a prominent north German merchant family's gradual decline across four generations, from 1835 to 1877. Drawing from Mann's own family history in Lübeck, the story explores the conflict between business duty and personal happiness as the Buddenbrooks face financial reversals, failed marriages, and shifting social values during Germany's rapid industrialization. The work earned Mann the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1929.
Tonio Kröger [Erstausgabe; Illustrationen von Erich M. Simon]
"Tonio Kröger" by Thomas Mann is a novella written in 1901. It traces a writer's journey from childhood to adulthood, exploring the painful divide between artistic sensitivity and bourgeois life. Born to a German merchant father and artistic mother, Tonio feels both superior to and envious of those around him. As he matures into a famous writer, he grapples with a haunting question: must the artist remain forever an outsider to respectable society? A journey to his northern hometown forces him to confront this tension between art and life.
Bashan and I
"Bashan and I" by Thomas Mann is a narrative written in 1918. Set against the backdrop of World War I's final months, this idyllic work chronicles the bond between Mann and his mongrel dog Bashan during walks through the Munich countryside. The narrative offers an escape into a romanticized, timeless world where daily adventures hinge on a simple choice: turning left toward civilization or right into nature's hunting grounds. Through five chapters, Mann explores his dog's character, their relationship, and the landscape surrounding his home.
Three essays
"Three essays" by Thomas Mann is a collection of essays written in the early 20th century. The volume examines towering figures and ideas—chiefly Goethe and Tolstoy, but also Frederick the Great and an occult episode—to probe how art, culture, power, and belief shape human life. Expect comparative criticism, historical reflection, and personal insight rather than narrative fiction. The opening of the book presents the essay “Goethe and Tolstoy,” beginning with an anecdote about a Weimar schoolmaster who glimpsed Goethe in youth and, decades later, unknowingly hosted Tolstoy in his classroom—an encounter used to justify juxtaposing the two. From there, the author develops a wide-ranging comparison that treats the “and” between their names as a principled contrast, weighing questions of rank and “godlike” charisma, their shared Rousseauian inheritance (nature, education, confession), and the polarity of nature versus spirit, classic versus romantic, health versus disease, and freedom versus necessity. Goethe and Tolstoy are paired as children of nature and creation, set against Schiller and Dostoyevsky as champions of spirit and critique; this frames Tolstoy’s lifelong struggle to renounce nature for moral rigor, his crises and illnesses, and parallel moments in Goethe’s career. The section surveys their attitudes toward art, music, and society, evokes the pilgrim magnetism of Weimar and Yasnaya Polyana, notes their aristocratic bearing, and closes mid-argument as it contrasts Tolstoy’s sensuous realism with Dostoyevsky’s visionary idealism and revisits Goethe’s poised acceptance of necessity.
Gladius Dei; Schwere Stunde
"Gladius Dei; Schwere Stunde" by Thomas Mann is a collection of literary pieces likely written during the early 20th century. This book encompasses two narratives: "Gladius Dei," which delves into themes of beauty, sin, and the moral implications of art, and "Schwere Stunde," which reflects on personal struggle, illness, and the burdens of creativity. The work critically examines the relationship between art and morality, exploring how society perceives beauty and its often hedonistic interpretations. In "Gladius Dei," the protagonist Hieronymus grapples with the cultural and artistic landscape of Munich, becoming increasingly disturbed by a modern interpretation of religious imagery that he believes corrupts the sacred. He is portrayed as a conflicted figure, deeply concealing his emotions under a black cloak, who ultimately confronts an art dealer to demand the removal of a provocative Madonna image from public display, viewing it as an affront to spirituality. "Schwere Stunde" captures a different aspect of Mann’s exploration, focusing on a character's desperate struggle with creative block and illness, which manifests as a profound sense of guilt and self-doubt, reflecting the internal turmoil of an artist in search of meaning and purpose. Ultimately, the book embraces Mann's characteristic deep psychological insight and moral questioning, providing readers with a rich tapestry of existential themes.
Buddenbrookit 1: Erään suvun rappeutumistarina
"Buddenbrookit 1: Erään suvun rappeutumistarina" by Thomas Mann is a novel published in 1901. It chronicles the gradual decline of a wealthy north German merchant family across four generations, from 1835 to 1877. Drawing from his own family history in Lübeck, Mann explores the conflict between business and artistic worlds through intimate portraits of Hanseatic bourgeois life. As finances dwindle and family ideals erode amid Germany's rapid industrialization, successive generations find happiness increasingly elusive, regardless of their choices.
Tristan
"Tristan" by Thomas Mann is a novel written during the late 19th century. The story unfolds in a sanatorium called Einfried, where various characters, each with distinct ailments, navigate their experiences as patients. Central to the narrative is Gabriele Klöterjahn, a young woman suffering from health issues following childbirth, and Detlev Spinell, a mysterious writer whose interactions with her hint at deeper emotional and psychological themes. The opening of "Tristan" introduces the sanatorium Einfried and its atmosphere, detailing its structure and environment designed for healing. The chief physician, Dr. Leander, is portrayed as a pragmatic and somewhat distant figure, while the novel's characters, such as the industrious Fräulein von Osterloh and the vibrant but sickly Gabriele Klöterjahn, illustrate the diverse clientele seeking treatment. As Gabriele settles into her new surroundings, her interactions with the eccentric Spinell suggest a blossoming yet complicated relationship, hinting at themes of beauty, illness, and existential contemplation which will likely unfold as the story progresses. Through vivid character portrayals and a richly described setting, Mann sets the stage for an exploration of human frailty and desire amidst the backdrop of suffering.
Kuolema Venetsiassa
"Kuolema Venetsiassa" by Thomas Mann is a novella published in 1912. Gustav von Aschenbach, a disciplined and celebrated writer in his fifties, travels to Venice seeking respite. There, he becomes increasingly obsessed with Tadzio, a beautiful Polish boy staying at his hotel. As Aschenbach's fixation deepens, he ignores mounting signs of danger in the city, surrendering his dignified restraint to pursue forbidden desire. Mann crafts a haunting tale of artistic passion, aging, and moral decay.
Buddenbrookit 2: Erään suvun rappeutumistarina
"Buddenbrookit 2: Erään suvun rappeutumistarina" by Thomas Mann is a novel published in 1901, chronicling the decline of a wealthy north German merchant family across four generations from 1835 to 1877. Drawing from his own family history in Lübeck, Mann portrays the Hanseatic bourgeoisie as finances dwindle, family ideals erode, and happiness becomes increasingly elusive. The novel explores conflicts between business and artistry, examining how rapid industrialization challenges old values and hierarchies, leading to Mann's Nobel Prize in Literature in 1929.