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Thomas Mann: Biography, Books & Where to Start

1875–1955 · Lübeck, Germany · also known as Mann

Thomas Mann booksThomas Mann biographyBuddenbrooksDeath in VeniceThe Magic MountainDoctor FaustusMann

Who was Thomas Mann?

Thomas Mann published his first novel, Buddenbrooks (1901), the decline of a merchant family like his own, at 26. Death in Venice (1912) and The Magic Mountain (1924), set in a Swiss tuberculosis sanatorium before World War I, made him the leading German novelist of his age; he won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1929. An outspoken opponent of the Nazis, he went into exile in Switzerland and the United States, where he wrote Doctor Faustus (1947).

Where to start

Begin with Death in Venice.

Thomas Mann’s books, in order

  1. Buddenbrooks (1901)
    Free at: Project Gutenberg · Standard Ebooks · LibriVox · Wikisource · Internet Archive · Open Library Find a free edition →
  2. Tonio Kröger (1903)
    Free at: Project Gutenberg · Standard Ebooks · LibriVox · Wikisource · Internet Archive · Open Library Find a free edition →
  3. Death in Venice (1912)
    Free at: Project Gutenberg · Standard Ebooks · LibriVox · Wikisource · Internet Archive · Open Library Find a free edition →
  4. The Magic Mountain (1924)
    Free at: Project Gutenberg · Standard Ebooks · LibriVox · Wikisource · Internet Archive · Open Library Find a free edition →
  5. Doctor Faustus (1947)
    Free at: Open Library · Internet Archive · WorldCat Find & borrow →

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More German authors

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe · Friedrich Schiller · Brothers Grimm · E. T. A. Hoffmann · Theodor Fontane · Franz Kafka · Hermann Hesse · Erich Maria Remarque

Frequently asked questions

Who was Thomas Mann?

Thomas Mann published his first novel, Buddenbrooks (1901), the decline of a merchant family like his own, at 26. Death in Venice (1912) and The Magic Mountain (1924), set in a Swiss tuberculosis sanatorium before World War I, made him the leading German novelist of his age; he won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1929.

What is Thomas Mann’s most famous book?

Buddenbrooks is usually considered Thomas Mann’s best-known work, followed by Death in Venice, The Magic Mountain, Doctor Faustus.

Which Thomas Mann book should I read first?

Most readers start with Death in Venice.

Is it Thomas Mann or Mann?

Both refer to the same writer.

Can I read Thomas Mann’s books free online?

Many of Thomas Mann’s works are in the public domain; we link to free editions below.

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