The Content Reader

Having read Colm Tóibín's The Master, a historical fiction on the life of Henry James, I was eagerly anticipating his piece on Thomas Mann. In general, Tóibín always delivers, so this time as well. In 2020 I read Tilmann Lahme's biography Die Manns   (my review under link) about this fascinating family. I don't know whether it is good or not to have read a biography before a historical fiction. For me, when I read a historical fiction on any subject, I like to read a nonfiction about it, so for me it was good. I don't think it is necessary in general. However, it did confirm to me that Tóbín, as expected, knows what he is writing about.  When you read about the Mann family a famous quote by Leo Tolstoj comes to mind; "Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." The Manns are certainly an unhappy family, and probably unhappy in its own way. Affected by the dominance of Thomas Mann, the great writer. He is not dominant in any v...