Ok, fine, Henry, fine! You broke me! I was aiming to buy no new books in Q2. But this made me -- forced me -- to buy Buddenbrooks and read asap. Forced my hand! Look at what you have done to this noble visage, this former pillar of steely willpower....
I grew up in Northern Germany, and I know the milieu that Mann describes well. He is able to make it specific to a time and place - Lübeck and at the same time universal.
I have been saving Buddenbrooks for a rainy day. I adore “Doctor Faustus” and “Magic Mountain” — I read both of those in prison, in solitary confinement. They allowed me to request up to two books at a time from the library. Read most of Dostoevsky in that cell also, freezing cold and three inches of backed up sewage on the floor. I was close to real starvation, lost 40 pounds - so all the sumptuous meals in “Magic Mountain” had quite an impact.
A completely insane book for a 24 (!!!) year old to have written. I still don't quite trust Mann’s date of birth. Are we sure we wasn't 34, or 44? He was the age of full-on-doofus Hans Casthorp at the beginning of The Magic Mountain.
I think Thomas Jr. writes a lot of himself into Thomas Sr., and a lot of brother Heinrich into uncle Christian. Curious his decision to kill himself and his father off in Hanno and Thomas respectively. The dentist visit is one of my all time favourite literary deaths.
Everyone talks about the Schoppenhauer chapter (as they should) but few talk about how gorgeously sad Thomas's decision is to put the experience behind him and return to normal life.
It was devastating on my first read through to realise Hanno/Mann’s experience of school was more or less exactly the same as my own, despite the 100 year interval.
I wonder how it compares to Bernhard's Gathering Evidence. I have Buddenbrooks at home, but I've held back on it, immaturely, in respect of Bernhard's deep distaste for Mann in Old Masters. It's high time I got over that hangup.
Ok, fine, Henry, fine! You broke me! I was aiming to buy no new books in Q2. But this made me -- forced me -- to buy Buddenbrooks and read asap. Forced my hand! Look at what you have done to this noble visage, this former pillar of steely willpower....
I grew up in Northern Germany, and I know the milieu that Mann describes well. He is able to make it specific to a time and place - Lübeck and at the same time universal.
I have been saving Buddenbrooks for a rainy day. I adore “Doctor Faustus” and “Magic Mountain” — I read both of those in prison, in solitary confinement. They allowed me to request up to two books at a time from the library. Read most of Dostoevsky in that cell also, freezing cold and three inches of backed up sewage on the floor. I was close to real starvation, lost 40 pounds - so all the sumptuous meals in “Magic Mountain” had quite an impact.
A completely insane book for a 24 (!!!) year old to have written. I still don't quite trust Mann’s date of birth. Are we sure we wasn't 34, or 44? He was the age of full-on-doofus Hans Casthorp at the beginning of The Magic Mountain.
I think Thomas Jr. writes a lot of himself into Thomas Sr., and a lot of brother Heinrich into uncle Christian. Curious his decision to kill himself and his father off in Hanno and Thomas respectively. The dentist visit is one of my all time favourite literary deaths.
Everyone talks about the Schoppenhauer chapter (as they should) but few talk about how gorgeously sad Thomas's decision is to put the experience behind him and return to normal life.
It was devastating on my first read through to realise Hanno/Mann’s experience of school was more or less exactly the same as my own, despite the 100 year interval.
I love this picture of Elisabeth. I can really imagine all Tony’s dialogue coming from her mouth.
I wonder how it compares to Bernhard's Gathering Evidence. I have Buddenbrooks at home, but I've held back on it, immaturely, in respect of Bernhard's deep distaste for Mann in Old Masters. It's high time I got over that hangup.