Thomas Mann: A German literary giant in America

By the time Thomas Mann decided to swap his home in exile from Switzerland to the US, he was already well-connected and a globally prominent writer, in addition to being a Nobel laureate. Upon his arrival to the US in 1938, he told a reporter, "Where I am, there is Germany. I carry my culture in me." The Mann family first lived in Princeton, New Jersey before moving to Los Angeles in 1941.

Refined suits, neckties, white shoes — Mann valued conventions and remained true to his style, even in moments like the one above, where he and his wife, Katja, and daughters, Erika and Monika, are seen relaxing on the terrace of their house in Pacific Palisades, near Santa Monica, California. His years in exile in the US proved to be the most productive.

In 1943, while living in LA, Mann finished his multi-volume novel "Joseph and His Brothers." In "the most beautiful study I ever had," Mann also wrote "Doctor Faustus" (1947). The fictional biography tells the story of a composer who sells his soul to the devil and is consequently driven to ruin — just like Germany under the Nazis. Mann had warned of the dangers posed by the Nazis early on.

Mann wrote for three hours every morning. This was followed by lunch, a nap, teatime, then time for general correspondence, dinner and finally reading time, which included the whole family. He was in bed by midnight. In his diary he complained about not completing his "pensum," or desired tasks, and about oversleeping and reading too late at night — arguably classic work-from-home problems.

As a German intellectual, Mann was a cultural superstar in the US. He wrote a lot and also involved himself in politics. During his numerous lecture tours, he shook more hands than anyone else, both in the political and academic worlds. He also socialized enthusiastically with studio bosses in Hollywood. However, of three planned film projects, none ended up being produced.

Having Thomas Mann as a father was not easy for his six children. They grew up in a stately villa in Munich until they were forced to leave Germany in 1933. They were all exceedingly talented and turned to writing sooner or later. Firstborn Erika (left) had a close relationship with her brother Klaus (right).

Lion Feuchtwanger, another writer, was also forced to leave Germany. The author of novels including "Jew Süss" and "Success," he was considered a "national traitor." In 1943, the Feuchtwangers relocated to Los Angeles, moving into Villa Aurora next to the Manns. The villa became a meeting place for exiled German speakers and their American friends. It's still used for cultural exchange today.

"Interview with three Chicago students," read Mann's agenda for December 28, 1949. One of the students was 16-year-old Susan Sontag, later one of America's most influential intellectuals. Mann held the interview in his study, serving tea and cookies. He listened with polite distance to her questions. Sontag was only moderately impressed, but "The Magic Mountain" remained the "book of her life."

Thomas Mann, wife Katja (center) and daughter Erika (right) prepared to depart the US in 1952; they had had enough of the country's increasingly restrictive intellectual climate. Mann, by then a US citizen, had been suspected of supporting communism and forced to testify before a congressional committee on "un-American activities." He returned to Switzerland, where he died three years later.

Mann and his family lived in this building in Pacific Palisades, a neighborhood of LA, for a decade. The German state acquired the property in 2016, and in 2018 it became a meeting place for scientists, scholars and intellectuals. Damaged during the LA wildfires in early 2025, the Thomas Mann House resumed activities mid-year.