Mann, Klaus |
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BORN 28 Nov 1906, München, Bayern - DIED 22 May 1949, Cannes, Alpes-Maritimes CAUSE OF DEATH suicide with overdose of sleeping pills GRAVE LOCATION Cannes, Alpes-Maritimes: Cimetière du Grand-Jas, 205 avenue de Grasse (Carré 16 (ashes)) |
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Klaus Mann was the son of the famous author Thomas Mann. When he was eighteen years old he became engaged with Pamela Wedekind, although he was a homosexual. Among their close friends was Gustaf Gründgens, who was also homosexual and was married to his sister Erika from 1926 to 1929. Mann worked as a drama critic for a Berlin Newspaper. He also wrote short stories and in 1925 his first work was published. He travelled with Erika in several countries and in 1927 they visited the USA. In 1928 his engagement to Pamela Wedekind ended. In 1929 he visited North-Africa together with Erika. Together they appeared in political cabaret and in 1932 he wrote the first part of an autobiography. It was received well, but after the nazis came to power he was forced to leave Germany. In 1936 he moved to the USA, where he lived in Princeton. During that same year he published "Mephisto", in which he attacked Gründgens because he continued working in Germany. The novel was published in Amsterdam. Gründgens was famous for playing the part of Mephisto in Berlin and was a great favorite of Hermann Göring, who didn't seem to mind his well known homosexuality. In 1937 Mann met Thomas Quinn Curtiss, who became his partner and was a reviewer of film and theatre in later years. In 1939 "Der Vulkan" was published. In 1943 Mann became a citizen of the USA. He served in the 5th US Army in Italy. In 1949 he was in Cannes to work on his novel "The Last Day". He was a disappointed man who had tried to commit suicide in 1948 and had expressed a death wish in his diary. He killed himself with an overdose of sleeping pills on 22 May 1949 and was buried at the Grand-Jas cemetery in Cannes. The only member of the family that was present at the funeral was his brother Michael. Gründgens' adopted son Peter Gorski prevented the publication of "Mephisto" in Germany during the early 1960s and it wasn't before 1981 that it was finally published in West Germany. Related persons • admired Benn, Gottfried • was criticized by Braak, Menno ter • wrote about Gründgens, Gustaf • was engaged to Wedekind, Pamela |
| Images |
 The grave of Klaus Mann at the Cimetière du Grand-Jas, Cannes. Picture by Androom (30 Nov 2008) |
Sources • Adler, Josef, Handbuch der Grabstätten, 2. Band, Die Grabstätte der Europäer, Deutsches Kunstverlag, München, 1986 • Beyern, Bertrand, Guide des Cimetières en France, Le Cherche Midi Éditeur, Paris, 1994 • Klaus Mann - Wikipedia (EN) |
