Mann, Heinrich 1871-1950
German novelist

He was born in L�beck, the brother of Thomas Mann. He began to be described as the German Zola for his ruthless exposure of pre-1914 German society in Im Schlaraffenland (1901, Eng trans Berlin, the Land of Cockaigne, 1925), and the trilogy describing the three classes of Kaiser Wilhelm II's empire, Die Armen (1917, 'The Poor'), Der Untertan (1918, 'The Subject') and Der Kopf (1929, 'The Head'). He is best known for the macabre, Expressionist novel, Professor Unrat (1905, 'Professor Garbage'), describing the moral degradation of a once outwardly respectable schoolmaster, which was translated and filmed as The Blue Angel (1932). He lived in France (1933-40) and then escaped to the USA. Other works include Die kleine Stadt (1901, 'The Little Town'), set in a small Italian town, and a remarkable autobiography, Ein Zeitalter wird besichtigt (1945-46, 'Exposition of an Era'). His influence is evident in the works of Jakob Wassermann and Lion Feuchtwanger.

Bibliography: R N Lina, Heinrich Mann (1967)