Death in Venice

An atmospheric story of obsession and inner conflict set in the oppressive heat of a Venetian summer, Death in Venice is considered to be one of Thomas Mann’s greatest works.Death in Venice is part of the Macmillan Collector’s Library; a series of stunning, pocket-sized classics bound in cloth with gold foiled edges and ribbon markers. These beautiful books make perfect gifts or a treat for any book lover. This edition is translated by Shaun Whiteside and features an introduction by Karolina Watroba.Revered writer Gustav von Aschenbach is in turmoil. He lives a solitary and disciplined life but realizes that there are still some things he’d like to experience. So, on holiday to Venice he goes, which he discovers to be an intoxicating place. There, he is struck by the beauty of a young boy called Tadzio. But admiration becomes infatuation as a deadly disease invades the sunny Italian shores.

Born in 1875, Thomas Mann was a German writer of novels, short stories and essays who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1929. He began his writing career by contributing short stories to magazines, and he published his first novel Buddenbrooks in 1901. When Hitler came to power, Mann left Germany to live in Switzerland and became a key contributor to the Exilliteratur, which was composed of work written by German authors who fled the Nazi regime between 1933 and 1945. Throughout the Second World War, he was vocal in his opposition to the Nazis, and he was later suspected of being a communist when he lived in the US during the 50s. He eventually returned to Switzerland where he died in 1955.