Gustav von Aschenbach, a German writer in his fifties known for strict self-discipline, travels to Venice for a holiday in the spring. At a Lido hotel, he notices a Polish boy named Tadzio and finds himself spellbound by his beauty. He stays on even when he learns that cholera is spreading through the city and that the authorities are hiding it. Thomas Mann lets the older man's longing slowly dissolve his dignity, and the story becomes a reflection on art, beauty, and mortality in the decaying city.
Readers of classic European novellas and of stories on the cost of obsession will find a dense, elegant piece here. It rewards a second reading.
Deep, inward-looking, contemplative and thought-provoking; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Wisdom Collector. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 1990
- Publisher
- Einaudi
- ISBN
- 9788806116972
- Language
- IT
