Thomas Mann's legacy: 150 years of great writers and democrat

Thomas Mann's legacy: 150 years of great writers and democrat

Chosed anniversary! On June 6, 2025, Thomas Mann celebrated his 150th birthday. This important German writer, who lived from 1875 to 1955, left a lasting legacy that is still very popular in literary history. Mann, who received the Nobel Prize for Literature for his masterpiece "Buddenbrooks" in 1929, always combined his literary work with social engagement.

Especially in difficult times, man showed optimism for democracy. After the National Socialists had taken power in 1933, he left Germany with his wife Katja. Edge In exile years, they initially lived in Switzerland, Hungary and France before emigrating to the United States in 1938. During this time he became a decisive opponent of National Socialism and held a series of radio speeches through the BBC, which were broadcast from 1940 to 1945. A total of 55 of these speeches were produced that dealt with political and war -related topics and were to achieve the German population, even if it was often considered a "radio crime" to hear foreign broadcasters. His speech was completed on New Year's Day 1946 with a special focus on the hope of peace and self -image of the Germans. Archive.org reports on Mann's contents of content with the Nazi regime and its reminders for reconciliation.

shocking return and powerful speech

A particularly memorable moment in Mann's life was his return to Germany in 1949, sixteen years after his emigration. Here he gave an urgent speech in which he called the Germans on critical self -reflection. In doing so, he criticized nationalism and the widespread self -supporting clothing and prophecy, even if this called many critics in the West. However, man was not discouraged and spoke to the Germans in East and West. This shows once again that he lived in the conviction that the future unity of Germany was inevitable. Superillu emphasizes how his words are still important today.

The literary legacy and the relevance of his voice

Thomas Mann's literary work is not only shaped by his stories, but also by his resistance to the Nazi regime. In contrast to many of his contemporaries, whose works were affected by the Nazis book burns, his literary work was unaffected. Nevertheless, he had to suffer direct losses by persecution of his relatives, such as his brother Heinrich and son Klaus. Speeches during the war are an impressive testimony of his commitment and good intuition to correctly assess the political layers and to strengthen the morals of the German population.

Literature in the "Third Reich" was shaped by anti-Semitism and a leader cult, as described by the [bpb] (https://www.bpb.de/themen/nationaloism- second-weltkieg/dossier-nationalism/39573/literatur-im-nationalism-ueberblick-werke-und-autoren/). Mann, on the other hand, and many other anti -fascist writers - such as Franz Werfel and Bertolt Brecht - actively deal with the horrors of National Socialism, created a cultural heritage that continues to work and is busy in times of polarization.

Although Thomas Mann died in Switzerland in 1955, his work remains a shining example of the incessant struggle for democracy and humanity, and his 150th birthday offers all the opportunity to trace the spirit of his writings and ideas. At this ceremony, not only his literary achievements are the topic - rather his legacy, which asks us to protect and defend democratic values.