The German author Klaus Mann both benefited and suffered from the fact that he was the son of Thomas Mann, a major German writer of the twentieth century who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1929. His uncle Heinrich Mann was also a well-known writer, author of the novel

Professor Unrat

of 1905, which was adapted as a classic early film,

The Blue Angel

(1930), starring Marlene Dietrich. His famous last name helped Klaus Mann publish his works and attract readers, and throughout his life his wealthy father financed his writing career and extensive international travels. However, many critics were unduly harsh in pointing out that his talent was inferior to his father’s. Thomas Mann, who struggled with and suppressed his own homosexual tendencies, famously fictionalized in the…

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Citation: Saur, Pamela S.. "Klaus Mann". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 08 June 2010 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=12800, accessed 19 March 2024.]

12800 Klaus Mann 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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