The Teacher Gnus

«The Teacher Gnus» — a satirical novel by Heinrich Mann set in the atmosphere of German provincial life on the brink of historical changes.
 
The main character, teacher Nuss, nicknamed Gnus, — a petty bourgeois who has been striving for career... success since early youth, unquestioningly obeying authority and figures of power. Since childhood, he exhibits conformism, cowardice, and a desire to submit to the strong of this world. At the same time, Gnus professes a double morality — for slaves and for masters, counting himself among the latter and intending to live by laws that differ from the moral standards of vulgar philistines.

«The Teacher Gnus» — is not only a psychological portrait of a pliable and cruel person but also a subtle political allegory that exposes the reasons for the emergence of totalitarianism.