Death In Venice And Other Stories - Softcover

Mann, Thomas

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0099541564 ISBN 13: 9780099541561

Publisher: Vintage Classics, 2010

Synopsis

Gustav von Aschenbach, a successful ageing writer, travels to Venice for a holiday. One day, at dinner in his hotel, Aschenbach notices an exceptionally beautiful young boy. Soon his days begin to revolve around seeing this boy and he is too distracted to pay attention to the ominous rumours that have begun to circulate about disease spreading through the city.

Italian director Luchino Visconti also wrote the screenplay for his 1971 adaptation of Mann's novella and travelled all over the world in search of a suitable actor for the role of Tadzio. Dirk Bogarde considered retiring after playing the part of Aschenbach, believing he could never hope to give a better perfomance in a better film.

About this title

Review:

"The real theme is fading creativity and the search for inspiration...A deep and highly complex drama of the psyche" (Financial Times)

"This complex fin-de-siecle masterpiece...seems eerily to pre-echo the destructive decadence that would shortly shatter European civilisation itself" (The Times)

"Thomas Mann's story of obsession and spiritual malaise" (Observer)

"What Mann understands and laughs at, though it grips him, is the quasi-sexual attraction of beauty and philosophy...Death in Venice is one of the undisputed classics of contemporary European literature" (Independent)

"Mann's obsessive story explores the complex, haunted relationship between an ageing writer and a beautiful Polish boy" (Express)

Book Description:

The sixth book in our stunning 'Vintage Love Film' promotion

About this edition

• Publisher: Vintage Classics
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 0099541564
• ISBN 13: 9780099541561
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• Number of pages: 336