French Literature Reviews - 2026

Th. Mann, Doctor Faustus: The Genesis of a Novel
Writers: Biography, Letters and Memoirs

The Genesis of "Doctor Faustus"
Translated by Louise Servicen
Christian Bourgois, coll. "Titres"
7 €
ISBN : 2-267-01900-0 / EAN 13 : 9782267019001

Thomas Mann wrote his novel Doctor Faustus between 1943 and 1946.
In this philosophical novel, through the medium of his protagonist, he expresses the sufferings of a humiliated Germany in the aftermath of the First World War. The Genesis of "Doctor Faustus", which compiles chronological notes from this period, serves as a companion piece to the novel. At that time, Thomas Mann was the most famous German exile in the United States. He met everyone: prominent politicians, scientists such as Einstein, great musicians like Schoenberg, and philosophers such as Adorno.
The Genesis of "Doctor Faustus" also stands as an account and a testimony to the great intellectual and political journey of a writer at the peak of his artistry and renown.

Published as a companion piece to Thomas Mann's philosophical novel Doctor Faustus, this volume compiles chronological notes written by the author between 1943 and 1946. During these years, Mann lived as a prominent German exile in the United States, interacting with leading figures across various fields including science, music, and philosophy. The text serves as an account and a testimony to the intellectual and political journey of a major writer operating at the peak of his artistic renown in the aftermath of the First World War.

Readers interested in the creative process behind mid-century European literature and the experiences of exiled intellectuals may find this work relevant. The notes document a period when Mann engaged with notable contemporaries such as Einstein, Schoenberg, and Adorno, while working on a narrative that addresses the sufferings of a humiliated Germany.