Wenn die Sonne untergeht. Familie Mann in Sanary

Reading and discussion with Florian Illies, moderated by Marie Schoeß

In the scorching summer of 1933, the political situation in Europe comes to a head - and that of the Mann family: Thomas and Katia Mann and their six children are stranded in the dreamy harbor town of Sanary on the French Mediterranean in June after adventurous escapes and know neither forwards nor backwards. In "When the sun goes down", Florian Illies tells of the grief over the loss of their home and possessions, the fear of Nazi looting, of melancholy, defiance and passion. In Sanary, Klaus and Erika are torn apart by their father Thomas Mann - they want to force him to break with Germany. Instead, the siblings almost break up with him. Florian Illies transforms the past into the living present in his books. "1913: The Summer of the Century" became a global success. Illies, born in 1971, was head of the features section of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung, ran the Grisebach auction house and is co-editor of DIE ZEIT. His art podcast "Augen zu", together with Giovanni di Lorenzo, is one of the most listened to podcasts in the German language.
The evening is dedicated in particular to Helga Breuninger, long-standing chairwoman of the Stuttgart Literaturhaus supporting association, as a thank you for her outstanding commitment to the Literaturhaus.