Klaus MannMephisto

The book describes different characters in Hitler's Germany. It was written by a German Jew who emigrated in time. It's not hostile to Germans. It's as credible a source as it gets. I'm German myself. And while I still don't understand what happened in the head of Germans at the time this book is as close an answer as I found.You may also want to consider youth bulges and warfare and Gottfried Feder's economic policies. Even before the Great Depression Hitler's economic expert Gottfried Feder wanted to print money to finance infrastructure. That was outrageous in times of gold standard. But it became policy under Roosevelt. Hitler the traitor got rid of the socialist part of the program in the night of the long knives. Feder was an academic, not member of a fighting group. He was allowed to live, but forgotten. He didn't enter the Nazi hierarchy. But I believe his program is one of the main reasons Hitler came to power. See the timeline of election results. Neither antisemitism nor Versailles can't explain it.Mephisto doesn't concern itself with economy and other factors. It limits itself to show the psychology and thinking of different types of characters and does it fantastic. It's one major part part of a bigger picture.Five stars.

"Mephisto" is a masterpiece. I saw the film years ago while at university but have only read the book recently and I'm kicking myself for not having read it before.It's the story of how the actor Heinz-turned-Hendrick Höfgen "insinuates his way into the lion's den" of the top Nazis in 1930s Germany, based on the real-life story of Klaus Mann's actor brother-in-law, Hermann Göring and his second (actress) wife. It's brilliantly written, with a superbly grotesque cast of characters, in turns bitingly funny and devastatingly poignant.As well as throwing light on how people from all walks of life were attracted to the Nazi ideology, the tale explores the broader theme of artists "selling out" - if not their souls, then certainly their integrity.I'm almost tempted to try reading the novel in the original German, too.

Very well written and translated but quite depressing

My initial review of this book was rejected. I am not sure why. This is an excellent history of how the German democracy was derailed and how and why German society went haywire leading the world into World War II. The facts of history should not be denied as they teach many important lessons. Don’t believe me? Read Mephisto and judge yourself.Book background: This powerful novel was published is 1936. It was banned in Nazi Germany and Klaus Mann, the author, was stripped of his German citizenship. The story shows in autobiographical detail the moral difficulties of an ambitious actor who puts his career ahead of the public’s interest. Actor Hendrik Hofgen and many of his friends tolerated public lies from politicians and believed fake promises of the radical right. Read this book, enjoy it and the interesting characters and situations, and weep.

Klaus Mann based the character of Hendrik Höfgen ("Mephisto") on the notable German actor/director Gustaf Gründgens who had been married to Klaus Mann’s sister Erika for three years (in 1925, Gustaf, Klaus and Erika collaborated on Klaus Mann’s play "Anja und Esther"). In his engaging biographical novel on Thomas Mann, "The Magician", author Colm Tóibín asserts that Klaus Mann and Gustaf Gründgens had an intimate affair, and that Erika was a lesbian. The Mann family fled Germany in 1933, while Gustaf Gründgens continued his career under the Nazi regime, reaping artistic acclaim and material rewards. Around 1936, Klaus, who was Jewish through his beautiful mother Katia Pringsheim, wrote the novel "Mephisto", a thinly veiled attack on his former friend for “collaborating” with the Nazis. "Mephisto" was banned in Germany until the 1970s, judged as having slandered Gustaf Gründgens. In 1981, "Mephisto" was brilliantly adapted to the screen by Istvan Szabo and won an Oscar for best foreign language film. Among the outstanding performances are a mesmerizing Klaus Maria Brandauer as Hendrik Höfgen and Rolf Hoppe as the sinister General Göring. Klaus Mann, addicted to morphine, committed suicide by an overdose of sleeping pills in Canne, France, in 1949 (age 43). Gustaf Gründgens died of an internal hemorrhage in Manila in 1963 (age 63), aided by sleeping pills. It was never determined if Gustaf meant to commit suicide. Gustaf Gründgens can be seen in Fritz Lang’s excellent 1931 film "M", starring Peter Lorre as a child killer hunted by both the police and the criminal underworld. Gustaf plays the part of Der Schränker (The Safecracker). There are also short clips of Gustaf Gründgens on the Internet, exhibiting his dexterity as a performer. Altogether, I’m left with sympathy for both Gustaf and Klaus.

This novel portrays the life of an actor under the Third Reich. In fact, it portrayed it so clearly that the actor on whom Mann's character was based sued for defamation. An inside view of the ghastliness of Germany under the Nazis. Highly recommended.