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.

Seized by the urge to travel, revered German writer Gustav von Aschenbach books a stay in a hotel on Venice’s Lido. There, in the oppressive summer heat, he becomes intoxicated by the beauty of a young Polish boy who is on holiday with his family. As Aschenbach's struggle between discipline and passion intensifies, Venice itself falls into the grip of disease. Despite the danger and decay around him, Aschenbach is unable to leave.

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 Oxford University academic Karolina Watroba.

About the Author

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.