In 1929 Thomas Mann received the Nobel Prize for literature. In the laudatio his second great novel,

[

, 1924], was not mentioned – to the author’s dismay and fear that future generations would only remember him for his first novel,

(1901). His apprehensions were unfounded. For decades,

has ranked among the greatest novels of the 20th century and has consistently been included in “Great Books” courses due to its intellectual stature, its allegorical depiction of European history in the years before World War I, and Mann’s interweaving of universal themes – the seductions of love and death, man’s frailty and inhumanity, and the ephemerality of life – with his presentation of a civilization in crisis.

When Mann

2274 words

Citation: Mundt, Hannelore G.. "Der Zauberberg". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 26 September 2003 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=11470, accessed 03 December 2024.]