Königliche Hoheit (Royal Highness), published in 1909, is Thomas Mann’s lighter, more playful novel — a romantic comedy of sorts about a German prince whose ceremonial existence is transformed by his marriage to a wealthy American heiress. Written in German, the novel uses the fairy-tale trappings of royalty to explore themes of isolation, representation, and the gap between form and substance.
Though less weighty than Buddenbrooks or The Magic Mountain, Königliche Hoheit reveals Mann’s wit and his recurring interest in the tension between art and life. Download this free public-domain EPUB to discover a more approachable side of one of literature’s great stylists.