Thomas Mann, Der Zauberberg [The Magic Mountain]

Hannelore G. Mundt (University of Wyoming)
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In 1929 Thomas Mann received the Nobel Prize for literature. In the laudatio his second great novel,

Der Zauberberg

[

The Magic Mountain

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

Buddenbrooks

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

The Magic Mountain

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 19 March 2024.]

11470 Der Zauberberg 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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