The SMU and the Manns… Hasn’t almost every (more or less queer) family member been given their own special exhibition?
The (latently homosexual) patriarch Thomas Mann was put on a pedestal in 2005 (and knocked off it again in our “Aufarbeiten” exhibition). “Closet Queen” Golo, the middle son, got his own exhibition in 2009. And the emancipated, energetic eldest daughter Erika Mann (who is said to have had various lovers) was honored in 2016/17. Ironically, the eldest son Klaus (1906-1949) – the only openly gay member of the family – was treated by us merely as Erika’s “false twin”…
A hundred years ago, the It boy of the Weimar Republic published his debut novel at the age of 19: “Der Fromme Tanz” (The Pious Dance) appeared in early 1926, published by Enoch-Verlag in Hamburg, with advance copies already available in 1925. An ideal occasion for a discovery.
The novel tells the story of the young poet Andreas Magnus, who—in an unmistakable parallel to the author—flees the confines of his upper-class parents’ home to Berlin, where he discovers bohemian life and follows his love for a man to Paris.
Despite its technical shortcomings, “Der Fromme Tanz” is undisputedly considered an early courageous commitment to love between men – at a time when homosexuality was still criminalized. (The author himself never made a secret of his sexual orientation throughout his life.) However, when it comes to the portrayal of Black people, Klaus Mann reproduces racist images.
His contemporaries showed him little affection or recognition. But Klaus Mann’s posterity is generally more benevolent in its judgment. A hundred years after its publication, “Der fromme Tanz” is considered a milestone in queer literature. The story of a generation in times of political upheaval and crisis, rising right-wing movements, and endangered democratic values seems just as relevant in 2026 as it did in 1926, as a current production in Hamburg demonstrates.
Why not read one of the current editions for yourself – perhaps in the comfortable reading chair in our library (Mon, Wed, Thu, Fri, 2-6 p.m.)?