In December 1936, the Nazi state stripped Thomas Mann of his German citizenship. But this blow missed its mark – the Nobel laureate and most eminent German author had already gained citizenship of Czechoslovakia, as had his brother Heinrich and most of his family. Journalist Peter Lange makes use of many long-forgotten details in his account of the relationship between the Mann family and the Czechs, introduces the novelist’s Czech sisters-in-law, analyses his political and cultural relationships with Prague and relates his travels in Czechoslovakia.

The author, Dr Peter Lange, is ARD’s correspondent in Prague. His research on the subject won him the prestigious Czech-German Journalism Award.