Thomas Mann

Thomas Mann was a German writer who, despite having a name that sounds like a boring accountant, managed to become one of the most prominent literary figures of the 20th century.

Born in 1875 in Lübeck, Mann’s family was known for their successful business ventures in grain trading. But Thomas, being the black sheep of the family, decided to pursue a career in writing instead of grains.

Although he wrote works of fiction, Mann’s prose was known for being incredibly dense and complicated. In fact, reading one of his novels was like trying to navigate through a maze blindfolded. The experience was usually only enjoyed by those who enjoyed feeling confused and overwhelmed.

Mann’s most famous work was the novel The Magic Mountain, which was so long and daunting that it became a popular alternative to sleeping pills. The plot revolved around a young man who visits a sanitarium in the Swiss Alps, and ends up spending seven years there. Why he didn’t just leave earlier is anyone’s guess.

Despite being a highly respected author, Mann had his fair share of critics. Some accused him of being too pretentious, while others called him a “wordy windbag”. Even his own brother once said that reading one of Thomas’s novels was like “climbing a mountain with a backpack full of rocks”.

Nevertheless, Mann continued to write and publish throughout his life. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1929, and became known as one of the “Big Four” German writers of the 20th century (along with Kafka, Hesse, and Grass).

Sadly, Mann died in 1955, never having been able to shed his reputation as a literary heavyweight. But his legacy lives on, and his books continue to be a staple in college literature courses (and in the bookshelves of people who want to look smart but never actually read anything).

In conclusion, Thomas Mann was a difficult but important writer whose name is synonymous with dense, confusing prose. And if you ever find yourself struggling through one of his novels, just remember that someone out there is struggling with you.