Death in Venice

A New Translation by Michael Henry Heim

By: Thomas Mann

Narrated by: Simon Callow

The world-famous masterpiece by Nobel laureate Thomas Mann - here in a new translation by Michael Henry Heim

Published on the eve of World War I, a decade after Buddenbrooks had established Thomas Mann as a literary celebrity, Death in Venice tells the story of Gustave von Aschenbach, a successful but aging writer who follows his wanderlust to Venice in search of spiritual fulfillment that instead leads to his erotic doom.

In the decaying city, besieged by an unnamed epidemic, he becomes obsessed with an exquisite Polish boy, Tadzio. "It is a story of the voluptuousness of doom," Mann wrote. "But the problem I had especially in mind was that of the artist's dignity."

©2004 Michael Henry Heim (P)2004 HarperCollins Publishers

Simon Callow is terrific. Loved the translation.

This translation of the book is an improvement over the one most people have read. Simon Callow’s narration is a masterful performance. I loved it.

One of the Great Novellas of the 20th Century; Topical Listening During the 2020 Corona Virus Pandemic

NOTE: Some plot points are discussed in my review.

Mann, for me, is a transitional writer. He has one foot still in the nineteenth century approach to the novel, and one foot too in the twentieth century; he is nearly, but not quite, a modern.

The novella Death in Venice is one of my favorites. It tells the story of an aging intellectual suddenly without warning “living dangerously”. Obsessed as he is with his own ideas and his inner dialogue as he examines these ideas, he grows increasingly infatuated with a boy he sees for the first time at a hotel during a solo vacation to Venice. He finds himself in a city that seems to be in the grips of a typhoid epidemic that quickly overwhelms the city shortly after his arrival.

A great novella, examining the perils to the body of allowing one’s obsession with one’s ideas; of living a life dominated by one’s mind alone. I’ve read this work before and remembered how much I enjoyed it, and it seemed a quite appropriate choice to listen to during the current (early 2020) Novel Corona Virus / COVID-19 pandemic.

I’ve listened to Simon Callow’s narration of the Aeneid, as well as his reading of Shakespeare’s sonnets and enjoyed his narrative skill very much. His reading of Mann’s novella here does not disappoint; it is brisk, positively full of his unique vocal character’s ability to engage and transport a listener, and I thoroughly enjoyed Callow’s reading of Death in Venice too.

Provocative Prose

This incredible novellette was written as if the words were directly extracted from Aschenbach's mind....amazing writing. The story told elegantly but with incredible power and passion.....amazing storytelling. The forward equally as fascinating....

Death in Venice

A gorgeous reading of a great masterpiece. Couldn't be better.

Gorgeous

A must experience. A wonderful new translation. An incredible narration. Simply, a treasure. Perfect Ten.

Verbose

While the voice actor is amazing, the story itself is long and drawn out. As soon as it gets interesting the narrator goes on a long tangent that makes no sense half way through. I understand the purpose of it but it is not entertaining. I wouldn’t have chose to listen to it on my own but am doing it for school.

Timeless classic compromised by performance

Callow's hasty and breathless reading does a great disservice to this deep and eloquent work.

Headline

Except for the introduction, I enjoyed the narration. Of course the story is fascinating. I want to go back to Venice.

Wonderful translation and narration

This is my second round/ attempt of Death. What the difference new translation and narration can make.

Michael Cunningham ‘s introduction was icing on the top.

A tough one to assess

It’s a very slow and verbose story that covers an uncomfortably taboo subject. I really don’t know what to say about it other than it’s a florid telling of a bizarre, borderline pedophilic story.