Name: Death in Venice
ISBN: 9780679600404

Death in Venice

In DEATH IN VENICE, an elderly, famous, and wealthy writer named Aschenbach goes on vacation. He becomes fascinated with Tadzio, a young teenager who is staying with his family at Aschenbach's hotel. As his obsession grows, and despite warnings that a plague is threatening Venice, Aschenbach remains at the hotel hoping to make a connection with the elusive Tadzio. Mann's novel is celebrated for its subtle characterization, and its exploration of the struggles of the artist--the longing for transcendence and ideal beauty vs. the need to sacrifice for one's art.

What Hacker News says

biztosOct 2024

Late to the party, but for anyone looking for inspiration:

Fiction: Death in Venice (Der Tod in Venedig) by Thomas Mann[0]

Nonfiction: Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard[1]

Illustrated: The Insect God by Edward Gorey

[0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_in_Venice

[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilgrim_at_Tinker_Creek

thread

robertkossSep 2026

Just finished:

- Selected Stories - Anton Chekhov

- Death in Venice - Thomas Mann

- The Burnout Society - Byung-Chul Han

Currently I am reading an Austrian economics classic - Economics in one lesson by Henry Hazlitt

thread

aerhardtApr 2026

> you just limit the space to text

And even then... why can't they write a novel? Or lowering the bar, let's say a novella like Death in Venice, Candide, The Metamorphosis, Breakfast at Tiffany's...?

Every book's in the training corpus...

Is it just a matter of someone not having spent a hundred grand in tokens to do it?

thread

easytigerOct 2021

I had forgotten about this. Absurd it went on so long.

As it happens I'm currently reading Thomas Man's English translation of Death in Venice from Gutenberg.

That doesn't seem to be included in the embargoed texts.

thread

weinzierlMar 2020

> It wasn't until this latest outbreak that I realised just how pervasive the ideas of pandemic are in the creative works I consume.

This very thought came to my mind too. The examples that I thought of first were Thomas Mann's Death in Venice where Aschenbach hesitates until it is too late to flee.

'Among these things the Englishman said the most important one. "[...] The ban can hardly be delayed for more than a few days." "Thank you," said Aschenbach and left the office.' [1]

Back then fleeing was at least considered an option but today? Where would you go?

Very striking is also Albert Camus' classification of people in the face of crisis in The Plague:

- the ignorant

- the revolting

- the ones in solidarity

- the loving ones

Lastly not to forget, the episode about the telephone sanitizers in Douglas Adams' book;-)

[1] My own translation (attempt)

thread

thisisforyouDec 2016

The Complete Fiction -Lovecraft, H.P.
Pilgrim at Tinker Creek -Dillard, Annie

The Fractalist: Memoir of a Scientific Maverick -Mandelbrot, Benoît B.