Savonarola: he wasn't kidding, either; this was when he was working on his play Fiorenza where Savonarola is the hero. By sheer complete coincidence, this was when Heinrich was having his Renaissance phase, celebrating its sensuality and paganism rediscovery, in his cycle "The Goddesses". Mind you, when Thomas' play became his first flop (after the incredible breakout success of the "Buddenbrooks") (and was negatively reviewed by one of the big critics of the day), Heinrich wrote a "letter to the editor" defense of the play, causing Thomas to write him a "thank coming to my defense! I feel like in he schoolyard; some one has hurt me and my big brother comes and defends me! You're the best!" letter.

The positive Savonarola depiction was part of young Thomas' very fin de siecle idea of the decline of the burgher when said burger becomes a refined artist - this is major theme in Buddenbrooks, of course, but also in Fiorenza, where Lorenzo de' Medici is the decadent in question - whereas Savonarola embodies the ascetisim of true conviction (but is also doomed in the future). Aside from everything else, though, it has to be said young Tommy put something of himself in both characters, feeling split between his burgher and his artist self, and struggling with his sexuality, where he had to be an ascet by default, not allowing himself a sexual relationship wiht another man. But unsurprisingly, after the flop of "Fiorenza" he gave up on the stage and stuck to the novel.