Königliche Hoheit is a novel by the famous German writer Thomas Mann (1875-1955). It was written over two years (1906-1908) and published in 1909. An English translation Royal Highness was published in 1916.
The title refers to a character in the novel, Klaus Heinrich, who is a prince from a small fictional country in Europe.
The prince has a duty. He must marry a princess from another country. He must have children with the princess in order to continue the Royal family line.
The prince knows his duty, but he wants to follow his heart. He has met a woman named Imma Spoelman, who is the daughter of an American millionaire.
Imma is a beautiful and intelligent woman. She is a student of mathematics. The prince wants to marry for love. He does not want to do what is expected of him.
The novel explores the dilemma between duty and love.
The novel is a fairy tale. Most fairy tales have a happy ending. This case is no exception to the general rule. The prince Klaus Heinrich can marry Imma Spoelman who is the love of his life.
Where did Thomas Mann find the inspiration to write this novel? The story is autobiographical:
The character Prince Klaus Heinrich is based on Thomas Mann, while the character Imma Spoelman is based on Katharina (Katia) Pringsheim.
The name of the prince is borrowed from both sides:
** Thomas has an older brother whose name is Heinrich
** Katia has a twin brother whose name is Klaus
Thomas met Katia in 1903, two years after his first novel Buddenbrooks was published. Before long, he also met her parents. He said he wanted to marry her.
Katia was not the daughter of an American millionaire, but she was born into a wealthy, Jewish family. She had a good education and she was a student of mathematics and physics.
She was born in 1883. In 1903, she was only twenty years old. She was not in a hurry to get married, but her parents liked the young writer who wanted to marry their daughter.
Katia liked Thomas and she wanted to please her parents. This is why she decided to accept his proposal, even though this meant she had to break off her studies at the university.
Katia and Thomas were married in 1905. Over the following years they had six children: three sons and three daughters.
*****
Katia Mann
(1883-1980)
*****
Thomas Mann
(1875-1955)
*****
Katia and Thomas Mann
(married 1905-1955)
*****
Royal Highness
by Thomas Mann
The English translation was
published in 1916
*****
No comments:
Post a Comment