The famous writer Thomas Mann was born in Lübeck in the northern part of Germany in 1875. He died in Zürich (Switzerland) in 1955. He is the author of several novels, including the following:
** Buddenbrooks (1901)
** Königliche Hoheit (1909)
** Der Tod in Venedig (1912)
** Der Zauberberg (1924)
His novels were fictional stories with fictional characters. But they were often based on - or at least inspired by - his own experiences.
What kind of person was he? What was his personality? What was his basic view of the world?
He said he was a writer who just wanted to write some good stories; some stories which would captivate his readers. But this was not all. There was more. There was something he did not say. He had a deep personal secret which he carried with him all his life.
What was his secret?
He was not really interested in women. He was fascinated by young and beautiful men. There was a gay man inside Thomas Mann.
But he never acted on his feelings. He never allowed the gay man to come out. He was not going to be a victim of the infamous paragraph 175 of the penal code which defined homosexual activities as a crime.
How did he deal with the situation? He was candid when he was writing his private diary and he used his observations in his published work.
The feelings he had would be attributed to a fictional character in his published work.
While he was alive, some observers had suspicions, because they had read his published work very carefully. But they could never confirm their suspicions, because they did not have access to his private diaries.
His diaries were not available to the public while he was alive. And they were sealed when he died. Only in 1975, twenty years after his death, were the diaries unsealed. Over the following years, they were published in several volumes.
There are at least four cases when he had romantic feelings for a person of the same sex.
Here are these cases:
# 1. Age 14-15
While he was in school in Lübeck 1889–1890, he was fascinated by a classmate named Armin Martens (1884-1957).
Around that time, he was also fascinated by a classmate named Willie Timpe.
# 2. Age 24-25
While he lived in Munich 1899-1900, he was fascinated by a young artist named Paul Ehrenberg (1876-1949).
# 3. Age 52
While he was on a holiday on the island of Sylt in 1927, he was fascinated by a young man named Klaus Heuser, who was at that time 17 years old.
# 4. Age 75
While he was visiting the Grand Hotel Dolder near Zürich in 1950, he was fascinated by a waiter named Franz Westermeier, who was at that time 19 years old.
Apparently, his feelings were never reciprocated. He was interested, but the object of his fascination did not feel the same way.
Nothing happened.
He realised he had to build a respectable life. He did not want anybody to know his secret.
In 1903, shortly after his first novel Buddenbrooks had been published, he began looking for a suitable spouse. He soon found Katharina “Katia” Pringsheim, who was a few years younger than him.
Katia was born into a rich Jewish family. Her parents were interested in art and literature. He was a published writer who knew how to present himself. Her parents invited him into their home. Thomas and Katia were married in 1905.
The couple had six children.
Three sons and three daughters.
Thomas Mann was not only married; he was also the father of six children. His wife and his children were the perfect cover. Who would suspect that he was more interested in men than in women?
Obviously, his wife Katia must have known this fact. She probably discovered this fact shortly after they were married, but she never said anything about it in public.
What about the next generation?
** His oldest son Klaus was a gay man and he did not try to hide this fact
** His oldest daughter Erika was a lesbian woman and she did not try to hide this fact.
Thomas Mann’s secret was hidden from the public. While he lived in Germany and while he lived in exile.
After 1975, when his diaries were unsealed, the suspicions could be confirmed: Thomas Mann was more interested in men than in women.
But he could not allow this fact to be revealed. The society in which he lived was not ready to accept such a person. His reputation would have been damaged. His career would have been ruined.
Since he had never acted on his feelings, he could not be accused of violating the law. He could not be charged with committing a crime.
But the loss of his reputation would have been bad. If his career had been ruined, he would have faced serious economic problems.
Since his secret was not revealed, he was able to live the life of a famous writer who never had any economic problems.
Today (in 2025), he is still a famous writer. The 150-year anniversary of his birth in 1875 was marked on German television in several ways:
** A docudrama which premiered in 2001 was shown again
** A television adaption of his novel Buddenbrooks which premiered in 2008 was shown again
** New documentary films about the writer and his work were shown
REFERENCES
The Man Nobody Knew by Gordon A. Craig
Thomas Mann’s Brush with Darkness
Thomas Mann, Armin Martens & Paul Ehrenberg
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Buddenbrooks
By Thomas Mann
First published in 1901
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Thomas Mann and
his wife Katia Mann
(married 1905-1955)
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