The German novelist, essayist, and social critic Heinrich Mann (1871-1950) achieved his greatest success with his critiques of German society.

Heinrich Mann was born in Lübeck, northern Germany, on March 27, 1871. After completing his education in his hometown, Mann went to Dresden and a year later began working for a publishing house in Berlin while attending lectures at its university. At first a disciple of the French realists, especially Émile Zola and Guy de Maupassant, he wrote impressions, sketches, novelettes, and some poetry. His first novel, In einer Familie (1894), was published at his mother's expense. It was as a reviewer that he made a name for himself from 1891 to 1896. Between 1895 and 1898 he spent most of his time in Italy, much of it with his brother Thomas, later a world-famous author.

Heinrich Mann's first creative phase, 1900-1914, began with a realistic, even naturalistic novel entitled Im Schlaraffenland...