In the Shadow of the Magic Mountain · the Erika and Klaus Mann Story

Thomas MannOCOs two eldest children, Erika and Klaus, were unconventional, rebellious, and fiercely devoted toaeach other. Empowered by their close bond, they espoused vehemently anti-Nazi views in a Europe swept up in fascism and were openly, even defiantly, gay in an age of secrecy and repression. Although their fatherOCOs fame has unfairly overshadowed their legacy, Erika and Klaus were serious authors, performance artists before the medium existed, and political visionaries whose searing essays and lectures are still relevant today. And, as Andrea Weiss reveals in this dual biography, their story offers a fascinating view of the literary and intellectual life, political turmoil, and shifting sexual mores of their times.

aaaaaaaaaaa "In the Shadow of the Magic Mountain" begins with an account of the make-believe world the Manns created together as childrenOCoan early sign of their talents as well as the intensity of their relationship. Weiss documents the lifelong artistic collaboration that followed, showing how, as the Nazis took power, Erika and Klaus infused their work with a shared sense of political commitment. Their views earned them exile, and after escaping Germany they eventually moved to the United States, where bothaserved asamembers of the U.S. armed forces. Abroad, they enjoyed a wide circle of famous friends, including Andre Gide, Christopher Isherwood, Jean Cocteau, and W. H. Auden, whom Erika married in 1935. But the demands of life in exile, KlausOCOs heroin addiction, and ErikaOCOs new allegiance to their father strained their mutual devotion, and in 1949 Klaus committed suicide.

aaaaaaaaaaa Beautiful never-before-seen photographs illustrate WeissOCOs riveting tale of two brave nonconformists whose dramatic lives open up new perspectives on the history of the twentieth century."