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Irish Times
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Thomas Mann's 150th birthday present to Germany and the world: a warning from history
Thomas Mann and James Joyce never met in life but, especially in death, found much in common. Both were writers of challenging fiction who ended their days in self-imposed exile in Zürich. Both are buried there, at opposite ends of town. During their lifetimes their respective homelands rejected them first with mockery, then hatred – Joyce's works were banned, Mann's burned. After decades of posthumous apathy, both were resurrected by their homelands for praise and monetisation purposes. Just 10 days before another episode of Ireland's Bloomsday malarkey, Germany is celebrating Thomas Mann's 150th birthday in a state of nervous jubilation. A new, hefty biography heads the long list of books, while critics and essayists have delivered fresh prophetic framings for Mann's major works in the present. READ MORE Is modern Germany and Europe, some wonder, heading back to the Zauberberg (Magic Mountain)? Mann's 1924 novel tells of a healthy young engineer, Hans Castorp, who visits a friend in a Davos mountain-top clinic only to succumb to its self-indulgent charms of introspection, hypochondria, disease and death. Running through the book, two polar-opposite patients - one a humanist democrat and the other a fascism-adjacent communist revolutionary - debate 'power and law, tyranny and freedom, superstition and science'. Mann was channelling the debates that dominated his world a century ago - and ours today. [ The Magician by Colm Tóibín: Beautiful, sweeping exploration of Thomas Mann's life Opens in new window ] For German writer Thomas Wiedermann, who wrote a novel based on the author, the Zauberberg is 'about a pre-war world, a burnt-out society … where the smallest spark is enough to make the world explode'. A century on, he fears the modern world is 'not repeating [the past] but at least mirroring it'. Others see worrying contemporary parallels to Mann's first novel, Buddenbrooks, drawing on his early years in the northern city of Lübeck where he was born on June 6th, 1875. This debut novel, published when he was 26, sweeps the reader through the rise and fall of a wealthy merchant family whose business is built by the first generation, managed by the second and ruined by the third. Last February, the Neue Zürcher daily suggested Switzerland was suffering from third-generation 'Buddenbrooks syndrome', happily living off the family fortune, 'studying art history, working less, retiring earlier'. Rather than citizens, the NZZ argued, 'the Swiss have become consumers of their own state'. Similar arguments can be heard in Germany, trapped in a never-ending recession, and a recent warning from Chancellor Friedrich Merz that holiday-loving Germans 'need to work more'. Mann won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1929 for his work, packed with universal, timeless themes that are finding new relevance and attention today. His 150th birthday today became a dual celebration of sorts. [ Opens in new window ] It marked the reopening of the fabled villa that Thomas and Katja Mann had built in California's Pacific Palisades. It was purchased and restored by the German state a decade ago - but it's a miracle there is even a house left. Last January, as wildfires raged through nearby Santa Monica and edged into Pacific Palisades, villa staff raced through the house, snatching the writer's handwritten papers, paintings and beloved Goethe complete works - but had to leave behind thousands of personal mementos and rare books. Much of the neighbourhood was consumed by fire but the worst damage to the Mann villa was a thick coating of soot on the facade, which has been scrubbed and repainted for Friday's party. Mann knew personally how quick disaster could strike. He was on a lecture tour of Europe a month after Hitler took power in 1933 when he decided not to return to Germany and settle in Switzerland. His denunciations of the Nazis from there saw them revoke his citizenship and burn his books. After their invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1939, Mann resettled his family in the US. Asked by a reporter there how he felt living in exile, Mann replied: 'Where I am is Germany! I carry my culture within.' It was here that Mann produced his perhaps most relevant works for our time. Not novels, but accessible and urgent essays and public lectures about democracy, its strengths and its enemies. In 1938, with Europe on the brink of war, Mann warned radio audiences that the greatest danger to democracy was the fascination and novelty of fascism. His observations carry eerie echoes today. 'Once [fascism] has subjugated the body through fear,' he warned from personal experience, 'it can even subjugate thought.' In 1943, with war raging in Europe, Mann warned, again on the radio: 'It is a terrible spectacle when the irrational becomes popular.' He eventually returned to Europe in 1952 but settled in Zürich, shunning Germany. His countrymen had never forgiven him – for fleeing, for surviving the war under Californian palm trees, but most of all for his BBC propaganda broadcasts into his homeland. Many Germans who convinced themselves later they they knew nothing of the Holocaust resented how, even in far-away California, Mann knew as early as 1942 of the mass murder of Polish Jews using poison gas. It was, he warned, 'an expression of the spirit and attitude of the National Socialist revolution'. Even worse than him knowing: he knew they knew, a point he kept ramming home. In another broadcast he lectured the Germans, literally, about the terrible irony of their situation: a dictator dangling before the noses of a people he viewed as 'cowardly, submissive and stupid' a bright future as a 'race destined for world domination'. In an open letter, published four months after Germany's capitulation, Mann insisted he would not return to a 'stupid, empathy-free' German people who 'would like to pretend that 12 years never happened'. The final kick came with his remark in the letter about the Allied bombings of German cities: 'Everything must be paid for'. No wonder, then, that his eventual return to Germany in 1949 was a chilly affair. Many Germans saw Mann as a traitor, even more so after he visited East Germany to accept a literary medal of honour. Two years later, learning that Mann had resettled in Switzerland, the Frankfurter Allgemeine daily denounced him as 'an exponent of an aversion to Germany that goes as far as stupidity'. Germany fell out of love with Mann but eventually warmed again to him in the 1980s. Mann didn't live long enough for that reconciliation - nor to fall back in love with America. A decade after taking US citizenship in 1944, Mann was dubbed a 'suspected communist' and brought before the House Un-American Activities Committee. There he heard himself described as one of the 'world's foremost apologists for Stalin and company'. A chastened Mann warned his adoptive homeland that, with its embrace of witch-hunts and 'loyalty checks', it was 'well on [its way] to a fascist police state'. To his diary, Mann confessed he was 'shockingly touched by the dwindling sense of justice in this country, the rule of force'. Given that, it doesn't take too much effort to imagine what Thomas Mann would have made of German-American president Donald Trump. As for his literary legacy: given that he died exactly 70 years ago, Mann's works enter the public domain next January to join fellow former Zürich resident James Joyce. Brace yourself for the mash-up, Chat-GPT fan fiction: Leopold Bloom on the Magic Mountain, anyone?
Los Angeles Times
29-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Six Flags Magic Mountain's record-setting Superman coaster will fly no more
Six Flags Magic Mountain's 'Superman: Escape from Krypton,' once among the fastest and tallest roller coasters in the world, has taken its final flight. The ride, which shut down for maintenance last September, will be closed permanently, park officials told the Orange County Register. The theme park did not immediately respond to requests for comment from The Times Friday. Originally named 'Superman: The Escape,' the roller coaster set speed and height records when it debuted in 1997 — hurtling riders upward at a top speed of 100 mph before sending them back down on a near-vertical 415-foot plummet where they experienced 6.5 seconds of weightlessness, according to theme park's website. In 2011, the coaster was redubbed 'Superman: Escape from Krypton' and redesigned to run the terrifyingly exhilarating trip backward. 'You're about to shoot from 0 to 100 miles per hour in seven seconds flat — in reverse,' the Six Flags' website described the ride. 'This record-breaking speed and acceleration has never before been achieved in a thrill ride, let alone backwards.' Magic Mountain president Jeff Harris told the O.C. Register that the park had initially hoped to reopen the ride, but sourcing replacement parts for the aging roller coaster had proved cost prohibitive. 'Just like other roller coasters within the theme park industry, there's a life cycle with these coasters,' Harris told the Register. 'It's just reached a point in time where we need to make a wise decision on where we really should reinvest funds that improve the guest experience the most. It just doesn't make a lot of sense from a business perspective to put it back into Superman.' 'Lex Luthor: Drop of Doom' a ride that is attached to the Superman ride and hoists park visitors 40 stories into the air before dropping them back to earth, is currently undergoing maintenance and scheduled to reopen in April, Harris said. The end of the line for Superman was met with an outpouring of grief from adrenaline junkies. 'That saying they have about parents and their children applies here: 'You never know when it will be the last time you'll be able to hold your child in your arms,'' one user wrote on Reddit. 'Same goes for these rides when they go into refurbishment and the same for Superman. I loved Superman ... I never knew the last time I rode it would be the last time ever.' While the extreme ride had a strong fan base, it also experienced technical challenges and several extended periods of closure. Some of these were related to the linear synchronous motor launch system that allowed the ride to reach 100 mph. Currently, the fastest roller coaster in the world is the Formula Rossa at Ferrari World in Abu Dhabi, which opened in 2010 and boasts a top speed of 149.1 mph. Six Flags Magic Mountain is now down to 19 roller coasters, but the Valencia theme park has a new suspended motorbike coaster ride slated to open in 2026.
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Six Flags Magic Mountain permanently closes record-breaking coaster
Once known as the tallest and fastest coaster in the world, Superman: Escape from Krypton at Six Flags Magic Mountain was brought down by a lethal dose of kryptonite. Six Flags leadership confirmed to media outlets that the shuttle coaster, which hasn't been operational since last September, will not return. Magic Mountain President Jeff Harris told the Orange County Register that the ride was initially closed for refurbishment, but the necessary parts weren't readily available, so the most prudent option was to close it permanently. The Superman ride featured a pair of side-by-side L-shaped tracks that each curved toward the sky. The launch system shot riders from zero to 100 mph in 7 seconds to a height of 415 feet. The park hasn't decided what it will do with the queue, station, and launch track, but Lex Luthor: Drop of Doom drop ride attached to Superman's coaster tower will continue to operate. That ride is scheduled to reopen next month. Lawsuit claims man suffered fatal brain injury on Six Flags roller coaster Roller coaster enthusiasts on Reddit reacted to the news, with many calling Superman their favorite ride and disappointed that it won't reopen. Without Superman, Magic Mountain now has 19 roller coasters, which is still more than any other amusement park in the world, according to the Register. The new 2026 roller coaster will bring the park's coaster count back to 20. In 2011, the coaster, originally named Superman: The Escape, was rechristened Superman: Escape from Krypton when the ride vehicles were flipped around so riders were launched backward and looked toward the ground as they plummeted back toward Earth, according to Roller Coaster Database. Fans can still see Superman on the Justice League: Battle for Metropolis dark ride and meet the character in the park. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Miami Herald
21-03-2025
- Miami Herald
Their son died after a Magic Mountain roller-coaster ride. Now they're suing
A popular ride at Six Flags Magic Mountain caused a severe head injury that killed a 22-year-old, according to a lawsuit filed by a Garden Grove, California, family. The fatality occurred June 23, 2022, after Christopher Hawley rode the X2 roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California. He was in a row by himself with his cousin and younger brother in the row behind him, the lawsuit says. "The entirety of the X2 ride was extremely rough and jerked its riders around like rag dolls," according to the complaint. At the end of the trip, "the ride suddenly, abruptly, and violently jolted to a halt, jarring Decedent Christopher Hawley and the other two boys in their seats." "Me and my cousin Kyle and Chris - we had no idea that this was gonna happen," Hawley's brother Alex, now 21, told The Times on Tuesday. Six Flags Magic Mountain denied the claims in the lawsuit, which was updated from an earlier complaint filed in 2023. Immediately after getting off the ride, Hawley stumbled on the offramp, complained of head pain, collapsed and became unconscious. Hawley was in good health on the day of the trip, the lawsuit stated. Doctors found Hawley had severe brain bleeding and a poor prognosis. He died the next day from what the coroner's office said was head trauma caused by "a park ride accident," the complaint said. The ride was shut down for a time after Hawley's injury, the lawsuit says, but was reopened that day. Hawley's parents Anne and William are suing, alleging wrongful death, negligence, a design defect in the coaster and failure to warn riders of potential injury. "There's no outlet for this grief because, I mean, it's such a loss," Anne Hawley said in an interview Tuesday. "We went from a happy family of four to a grieving family of three because of tickets that I purchased for them to go have a fun day." Listed as defendants are Magic Mountain and Six Flags as separate entities and S&S Worldwide as the copyright owner for X2's style of coaster, a "fourth-dimensional" ride with seats that can rotate 360 degrees. The defendants have denied the claims. "So while you are careening down the rails at 76 miles per hour through an unreal assortment of dives, flips and twists, as well as two ultra-rare 'raven turns' - half loops that change their minds midway and become sheer drops - your body will also be flipping around 360-degrees over and over again," the ride's description reads on Six Flags' website. "Quite simply, you will be spun into another dimension." "This is not the first time someone has sustained a serious injury as a result of riding X2," the family's attorney, Ari Friedman, said in a statement. "X2 has been linked to previous incidents, where people received whiplash, head and leg injuries, and more, from the ride's sudden shuddering and jolts." The park was sued in 2014 after a Ninja roller-coaster car struck a downed tree on its tracks and partially derailed, causing minor injuries to passengers. A woman in 2001 died after a preexisting aneurysm burst while she was riding the Goliath roller coaster, the Los Angeles County coroner's office said. "Somebody at Magic Mountain should be able to explain to us - and everybody who goes to their park - what happened, why it happened," William Hawley said. Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Yahoo
Garden Grove family alleges Six Flags rollercoaster caused son's death
LOS ANGELES - A Garden Grove couple has filed a lawsuit against Six Flags Magic Mountain, alleging their son died from a fatal injury sustained while riding a roller coaster at the Valencia theme park. What we know Anne and William Hawley have filed a lawsuit against Magic Mountain, claiming the X2 roller coaster caused the fatal brain injury of their son, Christopher, a 22-year-old recent graduate of San Diego State University. According to the lawsuit, the incident occurred on June 23, 2022 when Christopher was riding the roller coaster with his brother and cousin. The ride abruptly stopped, causing Christopher to experience severe head pain and eventually lose consciousness. The lawsuit alleges negligence, design defects, and failure to warn customers of potential dangers associated with the ride. What they're saying Ari Friedman, the family's attorney, stated, "This is not the first time someone has sustained a serious injury as a result of riding X2. X2 has been linked to previous incidents, where people received whiplash, head and leg injuries, and more, from the ride's sudden shuddering and jolts." The backstory The X2 roller coaster features rotating seats, a 215-foot drop, and speeds up to 76 mph, the lawsuit claims. The ride is known for its sudden flips and rotations. The Hawleys' lawsuit highlights previous incidents linked to X2, including whiplash and other injuries. Here's how X2 is described on the Magic Mountain website: "Go ahead and take in the view on the long ride up, 200 feet in the air. Enjoy the ride of your life on this one-of-a-kind coaster with a groundbreaking use of fire, carefully designed to heighten your total sensory overload. X2's utterly innovative design will keep your mind in full thrust the entire time. Your 360-degree seats extend on wings far off the track. So while you are careening down the rails at 76 miles per hour through an unreal assortment of dives, flips and twists, as well as two ultra-rare "raven turns" — half loops that change their minds midway and become sheer drops—your body will also be flipping around 360-degrees over and over again. Quite simply, you will be spun into another dimension." What we don't know The lawsuit is ongoing, and further details about the ride's safety measures and any previous incidents are yet to be fully disclosed. Magic Mountain has not commented on the allegations.
