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Introduction by T. J. Reed; Translation by H. T. Lowe-Porter
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
Introduction by T. J. Reed; Translation by H. T. Lowe-Porter
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Editorial Reviews
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From the Inside Flap
Introduction by T. J. Reed; Translation by H. T. Lowe-Porter
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
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27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Nearly flawless,
This review is from: Doctor Faustus: The Life of the German Composer Adrian Leverkuhn, as Told by a Friend (Paperback)
There are certain myths that seem to center a culture, stories that define and create a nation's heritage. The Great Gatsby defines the central american mythos. The Brothers Karamazov centers the Russian canon; and without a doubt the Fausus legend is at the heart of Germany's entire history, both political and cultural. Thomas Mann's retelling of the Faust legend for the twentieth century rarely misses a beat in its probing inquiry into the nature of Aesthetics, Sexuality, and Politics. And while the central questions on the role of power in relation to morality and the limits of artistic freedom that are the center of the Faust legend are here, Mann also manages to bring originality and his literary gifts to this retelling. What is remarkable about this narrative is that it tells you as much about the narrator as our Fausus himself. The narrator, Dr. Serenus Zeitblom, is just as central to this tale. His relation to our Faustian composer provides much of the dramatic tension as well as a human element in the esoteric wars over the nature of artistic power. Mann is among the greatest novelists of our century, and this is an unflinching novel that strives for meaning while within the echo of the Nazi guns that are the testament to the power of Faust and the darkness that the human soul must resist.
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the best books you've never thought to read!,
By A Customer
This review is from: Doctor Faustus (Everyman's Library) (Hardcover)
Forget preconceptions about this book. This is not a dry, stylistic, modernist retelling of the Faust story, but rather, and more effectively it is an investigation of evil, how it seems to strike everywhere and when least expected, from the minor deceptions committed daily to a country being led to ruin by a megalomanical leader, and how evil is often inexplicible, random, hardly satanic at all. Mann is an author of ideas but he is also a master of description. The novel is filled with wonderful, dark, and thought provoking images and scenes. And although the devil seems to abound, a sense of hope rings throughout Dr. Faustus. Reading this book gives insight into the seduction of evil as well as the need for evil to be explained. A difficult book with great rewards, many of its images will remain long after the last page. An astonishing creation
19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
great and dark novel,
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This review is from: Doctor Faustus (Everyman's Library) (Hardcover)
Thomas Mann was one of the greatest writers of the 20th century and this was his last and perhaps his greatest novel. Reading it is a daunting challenge as it merges history with philosophy and religion with music history and composition. This novel requires great concentration. Sustained reading is however greatly rewarded. I am still mulling over much that is in this novel. Written and presented against the backdrop of the closing years of World War II and the horrors of Nazi Germany, the novel is also clearly a statement against Hitler and the Nazis, and Mann from exile was a determined opponent of the Nazis. A very important work of literature on several levels!!
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