In honor of Thomas Mann's birthday, we present Stefan Keppler-Tasaki's "The Thomas Mann House in Pacific Palisades," a new audio tour for our mobile app "Exit Exile," which explores the history of the Manns' exile residence in Los Angeles.

The tour connects past and present, highlighting the historical significance of this 1941 architectural gem and its development into a site of transatlantic dialogue. It reveals the stories and events that shaped this house, taking you through the world where Thomas Mann and his family planned, furnished, and lived in their Pacific refuge.

Chapter Overview

1 | San Remo Drive 1550: Planning and Construction

Covers the planning and construction of the house, including architectural and design decisions.

2 | The "San Remi" as a Family Residence

Discusses the use of the house as a family residence, including daily life and family activities.

3 | Location and Surroundings

Details the geographical location of the house and the description of the surroundings and neighborhood significance.

4 | Hosting Guests

Covers the numerous guests who visited the house and the social gatherings that took place there.

5 | The Rooms and Their Furnishings

Describes the various rooms of the house and their furnishings, including special features and style elements.

6 | The Garden Paradise

Discusses the design and use of the garden as a retreat and recreational area.

7 | Farewell to California

Covers the Mann family's departure from California and the reasons for their move.

8 | The Lappen Era and the Rescue from Demolition

Details the time when the house was occupied by the Lappen family, its near-demolition, and its transformation into an international debate site.

Contributors

• Author: Stefan Keppler-Tasaki
• Editing: Anke Beims
• Narrators: Manuel Harder and Katharina Merschel
• Director: Giuseppe Maio
• Sound: Michael Kube - Mainland Studios Berlin
• Production: VATMH 2024

About the author

Stefan Keppler-Tasaki, born in 1973 in Wertheim am Main, studied German Studies, Political Science, and Sociology in Würzburg and earned his doctorate on the constitution of the subject in Goethe's narrative work. He held various academic positions, including a tenure-track professorship at the University of Tokyo, and is a member of the Berlin Excellence Cluster "Temporal Communities: Doing Literature in a Global Perspective."

His numerous awards include the Viktor-von-Scheffel Prize, scholarships from the German National Academic Foundation, and the Dissertation Prize from the University of Würzburg. He also received an Einstein Visiting Fellowship in Berlin, a Thomas Mann Fellowship in Los Angeles, and a Max Kade Professorship at the University of California, Davis. His publications include "Alfred Döblin. Masses, Media, Metropolises" and "How Goethe Became Japanese" as well as the "Handbook of Literature & Film."

Stefan Keppler-Tasaki lives in Tokyo.