About the book
Klaus Mann's sixth novel reworks the Faust legend through the career of Hendrik Höfgen, an actor obsessed with becoming famous. Once the Nazis take control of Germany, Höfgen renounces his Communist past and abandons his conscience so that he can keep performing and climb socially. Höfgen is a thinly disguised portrait of the actor Gustaf Gründgens, though Mann said he was writing about a type of person rather than one individual. Mann wrote it in exile, and an Amsterdam publisher of exile literature first issued it in 1936. The novel was later adapted into an award-winning film.
Florian Hubner, chief executive of Decondia, called it an exciting novel that opened his eyes to how accurately Mann, writing in 1936, saw where the Nazi dictatorship was heading.
We hope you love the books people recommend! Just so you know, The CEO Library may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page.
This book has 1 recommendation
Florian Hubner (CEO/Decondia, Startup Creator)
It's not only an exciting novel but opened my eyes, how close to reality his predictions were in 1936 in which direction the Nazi dictatorship was shifting.
Originally Mann was asked by his publisher to write a sci-fi novel about Europe in the future. However, he rejected the proposal stating that he could not write an apolitical book at that point in history and wanted to reveal the racism and cruelties in the Third Reich.
If more people would have been as brave as him many wars could have been prevented. Read it!
Get this book on Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Apple Books