Mission Statement

The Thomas Mann House in Los Angeles aims to create a vibrant transatlantic space for debate, where outstanding personalities, in dialogue with each other and the host country, address fundamental contemporary and future issues related to politics, society, and culture.

The Thomas Mann House is a residency center owned by the Federal Republic of Germany. The Thomas Mann Fellowships enable academics, pioneering thinkers, and intellectuals who live, or have lived, in Germany to tackle the pressing challenges of our time and to foster the intellectual and cultural exchange between Germany and the United States.

The interdisciplinary program of the Thomas Mann House owes much to the spirit of Thomas Mann. During his time in the United States, the writer, in his literary works, lectures and essays, extensively dealt with issues such as the roots of fascism, democratic renewal, freedom, migration, and exile. Following in the tradition of Thomas Mann’s radio broadcasts to “German Listeners!,” the Thomas Mann House, as a central element of its activities, focuses on the big issues of our time.

The Thomas Mann House builds on the socio-political work of the Nobel Laureate in Literature. It brings together German and American interlocutors from different disciplines, intellectual and artistic traditions, and political backgrounds. Fellowships and events facilitate encounters and intellectual exchange. Various media formats make heard important voices from Germany and the United States and bring them into an open dialogue with the wider public.

The Thomas Mann House takes into account the diversity of the German immigrant nation. Its program also includes positions from the Pacific region and Latin America in particular. Via lecture tours, workshops, and symposia, as well as radio broadcasts and digital media, it is to radiate out from Pacific Palisades across the United States and to Germany. Part of the cultural, academic, and political networks in Southern California, the Thomas Mann House provides important inspiration and ideas for German-American relations.