Thomas Mann's War: Literature, Politics, and the World Republic of Letters

This literary history seemed to me a tad too scattered. It is about Thomas Mann, but is not his biography. It attempts to explain the political atmosphere confronting German-language writers in the 1930s and '40s. It talks about the imaginary republic of letters. Goethe pops up often. Did Mann have any major impact while living in the United States, as we fought his native country? Chapters, labeled "Interludes", more aligned to book reviews on Mann's works are interspersed in the text. Interesting information is given on how books were published and disseminated during World War II, especially in reference to soldiers.One stray thought I had after concluding this book was that I have no desire to read any of Thomas Mann's novels.The author, Professor Boes, is undoubtedly an expert on his subject and enthusiastic about him. People with a keen interest in Thomas Mann will likely enjoy this book. Others may wish to devote their scarce reading time to other books.

Surely the strong point of the book is the way it is written! Writing with simple terms and very fast! As for the plot, nice for the space / time jumps and for the connections between the characters. Written in such a way that it seemed to me, while I was reading, to be there ... like when you watch a good movie.It is a good novel to read at a time when you need to read something light.