Baghdad panel marks 150 years since Thomas Mann’s birth with reflections on literary legacy

BAGHDAD — Al-Mada Foundation for Culture and Arts hosted a panel discussion on Mutanabbi Street marking 150 years since the birth of German author Thomas Mann, whose novels helped shape 20th-century European literature and thought.

Born in June, 1875 in Lübeck, Germany, Mann rose to global prominence with works such as “Buddenbrooks” (1901), which chronicled the decline of a merchant family and earned him the Nobel Prize in literature in 1929. He later published “The Magic Mountain” (1924), a philosophical novel set in a tuberculosis sanatorium, and “Doctor Faustus” (1947), which explored Germany’s descent into fascism through the life of a fictional composer.

The Baghdad event featured Dr. Baha Mahmoud Alwan, professor of German literature at the University of Baghdad’s College of Languages, and film critic Ala Al-Mafraji. The panel was moderated by Dr. Ahmed Hussein Al-Zufairi.

Speakers discussed Mann’s literary innovation and philosophical influence. Alwan told 964media, “Thomas Mann drew from a vast cultural and literary heritage and used it remarkably in narrative fiction. He is considered a pioneer of modernism in the German novel.”

He emphasized the durability of Mann’s legacy. “The enduring nature of authentic works is evident — Shakespeare’s and Goethe’s writings remain, as do Schiller’s,” he said.

Alwan highlighted the thematic weight of “Doctor Faustus,” in which Mann challenges the Cartesian notion that humans need supernatural means to achieve fulfillment. “Mann suggested instead that humans possess an internal power enabling them to achieve their goals independently,” he said.

On Mann’s literary identity, Alwan remarked, “Was he a philosopher using literary text, or a writer presenting philosophical content? In reality, he was both.”

Despite Mann’s significance, Alwan said his readership in Iraq is relatively limited. “In Iraq, readers are more drawn to Goethe, Lessing, and Heinrich Böll,” he said, noting that Mann’s stylistic complexity has discouraged Arabic translation. “There is a lack of strong translations available for Arab readers.”

Al-Mafraji praised the event’s scope. “The main presentation by Dr. Baha was a panoramic look at all of Thomas Mann’s works,” he told 964media.

He also noted the lack of dramatic adaptation of Mann’s novels in Iraq. “There was discussion about the absence of Mann’s works in Iraqi theater. His writings have not been adapted for the stage adequately,” he said.

Thomas Mann, who went into exile during the Nazi era and later became a U.S. citizen, remained active in literary and political circles until his death in 1955. His legacy continues to influence writers and scholars around the world.

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