The Poor

work by Mann

Also known as: “Die Armen”

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Last updated

July 1, 2026

Quick Summary

Heinrich Mann's novel Die Armen (1917), translated as The Poor, is part of his Kaiserreich trilogy. This trilogy critiques the authoritarian social structure of Germany under Emperor William II. Mann's works often expose the greed for wealth, position, and power prevalent in society. The Poor specifically indicts the social types produced by this authoritarian state, reflecting Mann's broader attacks on arrogance of authority and subservience of subjects.1

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Heinrich Mann
… trilogy—consisting of Die Armen (1917; The Poor); Der Untertan (1918; The Patrioteer); and Der Kopf (1925; The Chief)—carries even further his indictment of the social types produced by the authoritarian state. These novels were accompanied by essays attacking the arrogance of authority and the subservience of the subjects. A lighter…
Read More
… trilogy—consisting of Die Armen (1917; The Poor); Der Untertan (1918; The Patrioteer); and Der Kopf (1925; The Chief)—carries even further his indictment of the social types produced by the authoritarian state. These novels were accompanied by essays attacking the arrogance of authority and the subservience of the subjects. A lighter…
Read More