Death in Venice
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On Sale:
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19/05/2005
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Formats:
Trade paperback
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The world-famous masterpiece by Nobel laureate Thomas Mann -- here in a new translation by Michael Henry Heim
Published on the eve of World War I, a decade after Buddenbrooks had established Thomas Mann as a literary celebrity, Death in Venice tells the story of Gustav von Aschenbach, a successful but aging writer who follows his wanderlust to Venice in search of spiritual fulfillment that instead leads to his erotic doom.
In the decaying city, besieged by an unnamed epidemic, he becomes obsessed with an exquisite Polish boy, Tadzio. "It is a story of the voluptuousness of doom," Mann wrote. "But the problem I had especially in mind was that of the artist's dignity."
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Author Extras
Reading Guides:
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Reader Reviews from First Look
Heim's translation is consistent with the illusion of hope and tragedy of passion that Mann writes of so simply and deftly. A wonderful translation that lets us forget that it is not Mann's own words and is, in fact, a translation.
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Andrew (St. Charles, IL)
Heim's translation is consistent with the illusion of hope and tragedy of passion that Mann writes of so simply and deftly. A wonderful translation that lets us forget that it is not Mann's own words and is, in fact, a translation.
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Andrew (St. Charles, IL)
Part literature, part philosophy, part psychology, Death in Venice is a thought provoking tour through the heart and mind of the artist.
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Kevin (Columbus, OH)
Death in Venice is a minor miracle -- extremely well-written and always engrossing. It made me want to RUN to the bookstore to purchase more of Mann's titles.
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Larry (Pflugerville, TX)
Mr. Heim's translation of a Death in Venice is excellent. There is a passage in the book where an observer quotes, "Here is how Aschenbach has always lived" and he made a tight fist of his left hand … and "not like this" as he let his open hand dangle freely from the arm of his chair. This statement was made while Aschenbach was in Vienna on his thirty-fifth year on holiday. I personally feel that is how Thomas Mann wanted his reader to view this character. In past translations, he was viewed as tight fisted and as being wound tight as a watch. Mr Heim has given a vulnerability that was very enjoyable. Mann’s novel reads with the clarity as if it had been written in the past year -- fresh and alive!
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Hellen (Broken Arrow, OK)
I had never read Mann's work, but I've read many translations of other works. Heim's translation ranks as one of the best I've encountered. His command of the language is evident and the story is fresh and appealing. Heim didn't get bogged down as so many translators do. Instead, he gave this work wings so a new audience could be reached. If you enjoy reading foreign literature, this is a great choice!
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Sara Diane (Colorado Springs, CO)
Thomas Mann's writing is so richly crafted that I read it twice and could read it many more times and find something new with every reading!
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Pamela (Lenoir City, TN)
Heim's translation is consistent with the illusion of hope and tragedy of passion that Mann writes of so simply and deftly. A wonderful translation that lets us forget that it is not Mann's own words and is, in fact, a translation.
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Andrew (St. Charles, IL)
One of the most important books of the modern pantheon, Death In Venice is the examination by Thomas Mann of an author/artist who has placed himself outside society. The new translation is well done; while not making the style of the author less terse, it adds back much of the original emotional intensity in a way that previous translations made seem much too academic.
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Kenneth (Boulder, CO)
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