‘Someone like you, Klaus, will never stand in the shadow of another.’
Klaus Mann, nineteen years old, holds an entirely different opinion on this. That the budding writer
currently stands in the shadow of his famous father, Thomas Mann, might have something to do with it.
But why does Thomas reject him, as a son and as a person? What is Klaus doing wrong? He doesn’t dare
to speak to his father on the subject but, instead, decides to write him a letter; a candid, confrontational
letter. The letter turns into a gripping novel about a well-known family of writers and stage actors in the restless Munich of the beginning of the 20th century. But who is actually standing in the shadow of whom?
A Mann is a story based on facts and historical people and the first part in the Mann-trilogy. It can also be read as a standalone novel.
‘Fascinating coming-of-age novel about Klaus’s adulthood and struggle, set against the background of the first half of the 20th century. If anyone can convincingly depict the historical reality, it is Rindert Kromhout. Skilfully and carefully, he straddles the boundary between fiction and non-fiction.’ – •••• NRC Handelsblad
