A Lübeck grain-trading dynasty rises and fades over four generations in the nineteenth century. Johann Buddenbrook senior is confident; his son Johann runs the firm piously; and the next generation, Thomas, Tony and Christian, deal with marriage, bankruptcy and the changing city. Mann follows births, weddings, funerals and business setbacks, building a picture of a family whose practical energy is spent.
Anyone who enjoys the family saga as a form, in the line of Galsworthy's Forsyte books, will find the model here. A patient reader gets a close, ironic view of bourgeois life, and an early sign of Mann's later concern with decadence and art.
Deep, contemplative and thought-provoking; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Wisdom Collector. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 2006
- Publisher
- Einaudi
- ISBN
- 9788806184070
- Language
- IT
