Thomas Mann: Eros and Literature

At nearly 600 pages, Heilbut has written a thorough inquiry into the life of Thomas Mann that is both informative and thought provoking. It is an important book for all Thomas Mann scholars and aficonados, especially since Mann's personal experiences played such a large role in the inspiration of his stories - even more so than most authors.Heilbut takes us on a ride from Mann's childhood all the way to his death in 1955. Along the way, the biographer highlights Mann's estranged relationship with his brother, Heinrich, who was also an author in his own right (although not nearly the stature of Thomas). We also learn of his correspondence with such notable figures as Albert Einstein, Arnold Schoenberg, Herman Hesse, the poet W.H. Auden (who was actually his son-in-law) and the fierce (not to mention bitter) rivalry he had with the playwrite Bertolt Brecht. One of the best features of this book is the detailed information we get on the various personalities in Manns life which formed the impetus of the characters in his novels; especially so for "Buddenbrooks", "The Magic Mountain" and "Dr.Faustus." Heilbut also elaborates on the well-known passion that the author had for the writings of Sigmund Freud, Arthur Schopenhaur and Friedrich Nietzsche as well as the music of Richard Wagner. There is also a nice discussion of how he (appropriately) utilized Goethe as the paragon of genius in his "Lotte In Weimer."As is well known, the "centerpoint" of Mann's life was WWII and the years (actually decades) which preceded it. Heilbut details how Mann & his family somehow escaped the wrath of Hitler (Mann actually spread propoganda in Germany AGAINST Hitler and the Nazis) and his safe arrival at the intellectual haven of Princeton university. It was at this safe distance from the war that raged in Europe that Mann was compelled to write his masterpiece: "Dr. Faustus." We learn just how deeply moved he was by the destruction of his "Dresden China." The Nazis' deal with Hitler had indeed cost Germany her very soul. Ultimately, Mann lived a very tragic life. The uncanny number of suicides of people close to him, the intellectual enemies he made (without any provocation on his part), the resentment that his homosexuality aroused in people, his physical ailments, the exile from his homeland and the destruction of his beloved Germany all contributed to what was a less than enjoyable life. However, the emotional torture and suffering he underwent furnished him with the tools to write some of the most powerful novels of this century. He is perhaps the epitome of Nietzsche's artist who "transforms" personal anguish into great art. In any case, the fervency and brilliance of his writings make him one of the most pivotal figures of the 20th century literary landscape. This is his story. Read it.

I cannot improve upon the review of Heilbut's book by Kenneth Lewes, Ph. D. in Psychoanalytic Literature (Spring 1998)....."Since Mann's death in l955, there have been hundreds of biographical and literary studies, but Anthony Heilbut's "Thomas Mann: Eros and Literature" is the best I know of in examining the life and work of this impressive man and in seeing how each informed, betrayed, and enriched the other ... Heilbut's great originality consists not in exposing what in fact was already widely suspected, but in showing how Mann's psychology informed the procedures and achievements of his fiction ... Heilbut's writing is clear, colloquial, and extremely funny at times. It is rare that an exercise in literary criticism should be so much fun to read." My thoughts precisely.

Literate ...informative ...and a bit daring shall we say

Anthony Heilbut has written a witty, intelligent, informed study concerning the relationship between Thomas Mann's lifelong erotic attraction to young men and his writing. Heilbut makes it clear that Mann's sexual attraction to his own sex was no passing fancy, but a source of unhappiness and creativity. In insightful discussion of Mann's major works, Heilbut demonstrates the importance of homosexual themes in Mann. Perhaps Heilbut is too quick to define Mann exclusively as a "homosexual," given Mann's marriage and fatherhood. But the fact that Mann's best work was inspired by homosexual rather than heterosexual attraction seems indisputable after one has read Heilbut's well documented study.