ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Thomas Mann's Wagner essay controversy and exile 90 years ago

cultural-heritage · 2026-05-16

Ninety years ago, a dispute over Thomas Mann's seminal essay 'Leiden und Grösse Richard Wagners' escalated. As a result, Mann remained in Switzerland after a vacation, marking the beginning of his exile. At the time, the NZZ publicly took his side.

Key facts

  • Ninety years ago, a dispute over Thomas Mann's essay 'Leiden und Grösse Richard Wagners' escalated.
  • Mann remained in Switzerland after a vacation, beginning his exile.
  • The NZZ publicly supported Mann during the controversy.

Entities

Artists

  • Thomas Mann
  • Richard Wagner

Institutions

  • NZZ

Locations

  • Switzerland

Sources