Mann, Thomas

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Mann, Thomas (1875–1955) German novelist and essayist. Perhaps the outstanding figure of 20th-century German literature, Mann linked individual psychological problems to the great decline in European culture. His first novel, Buddenbrooks (1901), is an epic family saga. Shorter works include the novella Death in Venice (1912), and the autobiographical essay Reflections of a Non-political man (1918). The Magic Mountain (1924) is widely acclaimed as his masterpiece. In 1933, Mann left Germany, first for Switzerland, then the United States. Other works include the tetralogy Joseph and His Brothers (1933–43), and Confessions of Felix Krull, Confidence Man (1955). Mann received the 1929 Nobel Prize in literature.

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