Summary of Death in Venice
“Death in Venice” is a short novella about Gustav von Aschenbach, a German writer in his fifties, who is staying at an elegant hotel in Venice. During his stay, he becomes obsessively infatuated with a 14-year-old Polish boy named Tadzio. As Aschenbach struggles with his feelings and attempts to approach the boy more and more overtly, a sickening stench fills the air, which is later revealed to be due to a cholera outbreak.
Reasons to read Death in Venice
“Death in Venice” is an unsettling portrayal of an elderly man’s obsession with a young boy, framed within the backdrop of a cholera epidemic. Though it tackles a challenging subject, “Death in Venice” is written with exquisite prose, capturing the decay of both the main character and the city of Venice. The novella was adapted into a film in 1971 by Luchino Visconti, starring Dirk Bogarde. Thomas Mann was one of the most renown German writers of the 20th century. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1929. Other notable works by Mann include “Buddenbrooks”, “The Magic Mountain”, and “Doctor Faustus“.
Setting: Venice (Italy)
Book set in Italy: Venice Lido – the hotel of the novella is based on the Grand HĂ´tel des Bains, a former luxury hotel in Venice.
Original title: Der Tod in Venedig
Year of publication: 1912
Nr of pages: 88
