Thomas Mann (1875-1955) was one of the finest and most prolific German novelists of our century. His most famous works include Buddenbrooks, The Magic Mountain, Doctor Faustus, and the Joseph tetralogy.

Joachim Neugroschel (1938-2011) won three PEN translation awards and the French-American translation prize. He also translated Sacher-Masoch's Venus in Furs for Penguin Classics.