The Magician

After Germany refuses to renew their passports, Czechoslovakia grants Thomas and Katia honorary citizenship, though the Manns continue to live in Switzerland. Following Germany’s military occupation of Czechoslovakia, Thomas, Katia, and their younger children emigrate to the US, where Thomas takes a teaching position at Princeton University. His sense of exile becomes greatest in New Jersey, which feels utterly foreign to him.

Elisabeth, Thomas’s favorite daughter, tells Thomas that she plans to marry the much older Giuseppe Borgese, a professor of Romance languages in Chicago. Elisabeth’s news saddens Thomas.

Thomas’s application for an American visa runs into trouble since he accidentally lists his nationality as German instead of Czech. The visa application languishes until Katia reaches Agnes Meyer and the White House and all but manages to secure citizenship for not only the Manns, but also Albert Einstein.

Klaus and Erika visit the Manns in Princeton. Klaus is experiencing significant anxiety. He stays up at night, crashing into objects, and has frequent showdowns with Katia and Erika. The oldest Mann children, now in their thirties, are still financially dependent on Thomas and Katia. During Erika and Klaus’s visits, Thomas often takes long walks in Princeton, sometimes passing a pool where handsome young men bathe.