Summary of BuddenbrooksÂ
“Buddenbrooks” by Thomas Mann chronicles the rise and gradual decline of a merchant family over four generations during the 19th-century in city in northern Germany (modelled on Lübeck). While the early Buddenbrook generations built a strong and prosperous business, their descendants became increasingly drawn to art and preserving their social status and family residence, rather than maintaining commercial success.
Reasons to read Buddenbrooks
Thomas Mann’s “Buddenbrooks” is an epic family saga, portraying the lives of the Hanseatic bourgeoisie in 19th-century northern Germany. It delves into the question of whether it is better to devote your life to conventional expectations such as a career within the family business, or to pursue personal passions like art and music. “Buddenbrooks” was Thomas Mann’s first novel, and it achieved immediate literary success. The Swedish Academy cited “Buddenbrooks” as the principal reason for awarding Thomas Mann the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1929. It remains one of the most widely read classics of German literature. Other notable works by Thomas Mann include “The Magic Mountain”, “Death in Venice”, “Doctor Faustus”, and “Joseph and his Brothers”.
Setting: LĂĽbeck (Germany)
The city is not explicitly named in Buddenbrooks, but it is clearly inspired by LĂĽbeck, where Thomas Mann was born and raised.
Original title: Buddenbrooks: Verfall einer Familie
Year of publication: 1901
Nr of pages: 646
