Klaus Mann was not only one of the most versatile and productive members of the younger generation of German exile writers but also an author of truly international stature. He is known primarily for his novels and essays and his biographical portraits of significant historical or artistic figures. Like the novels he wrote during his exile, his autobiographical writings deal to a large extent with the problems of the emigration. The best known of all his books is his most controversial one: Mephisto: Roman einer Karriere (1936; translated, 1977), a political satire which many regard as a brilliant Roman à clef. Through its stage adaptation for the Théâtre du Soleil in Paris and a successful film version, this work has reached large audiences throughout the world.

An early opponent of fascism, Mann was among the first writers to go into exile. He became a naturalized citizen of...