Having just sent off the manuscript for
Betrachtungen eines Unpolitischen[
Reflections of a Non-Political Man, 1918], Thomas Mann began work on a long prose story on 18 March 1918 entitled
Herr und Hund[
A Man and His Dog,1919]. The text was finished on 14 October and he published it together with an idyllic celebration of the christening of his youngest daughter Elisabeth, “Gesang vom Kindchen”, giving the book the collective title
Zwei Idyllen[
Two Idylls, 1919]. Mann was familiar with
El coloquio de los perros[
The Dogs’ Colloquy,1613] by Miguel Cervantes, and in the chapter headed “A Brief Report on Bauschan’s Ways and Character” one can discern an allusion to E.T.A. Hoffmann’s
Nachrichten von den neuesten Schicksalen des Hundes Berganza[
News of the Recent Adventures1498 words
Citation: Gallagher, David. "Herr und Hund". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 08 December 2007 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=11464, accessed 23 November 2024.]