![]() ![]() The Europe he knows disappears as he does, resulting in Hans’ return to an altogether different world. ![]() ![]() He intends to stay for three weeks but remains there for seven years. Hans Castorp, a young, clean-shaven man of privilege, visits his sick cousin Joachim at a sanatorium in the Swiss Alps. All of these are perfectly fine reasons not to read this book.įor its daunting length, Mann’s story is not that complicated. The final nail in the coffin is the novel’s prewar setting, one that feels alien enough for many cultural references to go unheeded. Most translations leave much to be desired: The New York Times’ lede that the characters are “considerably closer to speaking English” in one edition is a backhanded compliment of the highest order. At over 700 pages, it is thick, dense, and occasionally a slog. It gives a voice to those who are on uncertain terms with time itself.īy most accounts, the German Nobel Laurete’s novel is a difficult read. Right now, Thomas Mann’s “The Magic Mountain” is that art. It may be tempting to look backward to figure out how to feel during tumultuous periods, but art can more accurately reflect the true emotions of the past than a history textbook. Everything is happening around us, but so little of it happens to us. Life before Covid-19 feels like a century ago and yesterday at the same time. ![]()
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