Reflections of a Nonpolitical Man

“′Reflections′ makes for a grimly fascinating read. Mann discloses as much of himself in its pages as in any of his autobiographical fiction.” —Alex Ross, The New Yorker

“Nationalist, patriotic, conservative, and spiritually autobiographical … it is a strange, enormously, clever (also foolish) and (in an alarming sense) fascinating piece, of sustained, often anguished and sometimes contorted eloquence.” —D. J. Enright, Times Literary Supplement

“Reflections helps us to understand the problem that has not gone away: the dilemma of the intellectual (the writer, the artist) in politics.” —Walter Laqueur, The New York Times Book Review

“At long last, a magnificent full translation of Mann’s untimely masterpiece … an obviously complex and profound work.” —Choice

“Without the impassioned patriotic document it is impossible to see Mann’s artistic and political development in the right perspective.” —Erich Heller

“[Reflections of a Nonpolitical Man] feels not just worthy of our attention but somehow indispensable… . The idea that we do damage to life’s most important elements when we use them instrumentally, for political ends, poses a real challenge to our moment, obsessed as it is with the political responsibility of the artist.” —Christopher Beha, The New York Times Book Review

Thomas Mann (1875-1955) was a novelist, critic, and essayist who received the 1929 Nobel Prize in Literature. Born in Germany, he fled to Switzerland and then to California after Hitler’s rise to power in 1933, returning to Switzerland in 1952. His most influential works include Death in Venice and The Magic Mountain.

Walter D. Morris (1929-2001) was a translator and professor of German literature at Iowa State University.

Mark Lilla is a historian and professor of humanities at Columbia University. New York Review Books has published his The Shipwrecked Mind- On Political Reaction and The Reckless Mind- Intellectuals in Politics. He lives in New York City.

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