Friendship-rivalry between G. Hauptmann and T. Mann in creativity and correspondence

Abstract

The article is devoted to the history of the relationship between two outstanding German writers Thomas Mann and Gerhart Hauptmann. The relationship between them developed as a rivalry, reflected not only in their work, but also in their correspondence. At different periods of their acquaintance, Hauptmann and Mann experienced the most contradictory feelings towards each other — from enthusiastic recognition to categorical denial. The publication in 1925 of Mann's novel "The Magic Mountain" became the first harbinger of the beginning of mutual estrangement after many years of friendship. The image of Mynheer Peperkorn sensitively hurt Hauptmann's ego. In addition, there was a rivalry between the writers related to the imitation of Goethe and the struggle for the right to be considered the national poet of Germany. In 1929, with the support of Hauptmann, Mann received the Nobel Prize in Literature. However, the latter's reaction provoked hostile rejection from an older contemporary. In 1933, the rupture of contacts between Mann and Hauptmann occurred for political reasons, and communication was never resumed, despite an attempt at reconciliation on Hauptmann's part.The methodological basis of the article is a historical and literary approach, in which the biographies, correspondence and diaries of Mann and Hauptmann are analyzed, as well as the interaction between writers reflected in their artistic work is studied. The scientific novelty of this article is determined by the lack of domestic research on the relationship between Thomas Mann and Gerhart Hauptmann. This work introduces for the first time into Russian literary criticism a number of relevant texts: letters and diary entries of Mann and Hauptmann, in which they express their attitude to each other and raise a wide range of issues of literary creativity and culture. The difficult relationship between the two writers, who defended completely different literary and ideological positions, is not only reflected in their correspondence and in their artistic work, but also largely reflects the experience of creative self-reflection of each. The main issue turned out to be the relationship between art and life, the possibility of creativity autonomy. If Mann insisted on the inevitable invasion of "life" into the sphere of the artist's activity, then Hauptmann saw in art the poet's salvation from his unworthy vanity.