Thomas Mann was one of those rare writers who succeeded equally well in both “major” and “minor” forms. In his novels, content weighed upon form, whereas in his short works form and content were in perfect harmony.
The “minor” works included in this collection belong to different periods of Mann’s creativity. Their plots are usually not complicated—love and disappointment, anticipation of a miracle and the boredom of everyday life, a thirst for life and the loss of illusions that bring pain and wisdom gained from life experience. Yet it is precisely the simplicity of the plot that highlights the brilliance of the author’s language, the subtlety of his style, and the psychological depth.
The novella included in the collection, “Death in Venice,”—a kind of calling card of Mann the storyteller—is published for the first time in a new translation.