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A bit meta. This is a novel about a real person (Nobel prize winner Thomas Mann) who writes novels based off real people of his time.
These fictions always fascinate me and send me down Google rabbit holes. How much is true? I wonder if the real.human would have been mad about the book.
Overall the book is a bit slow, but covers a large time period, Mann's life before WWI through the Cold war. Lots of family and gov.politics. I liked it.

An imagined portrayal on the life of Thomas Mann whom I had heard of but never read. And now not sure I want to, hmm 🤔

It‘s been awhile posting on Litsy but finally on vacation and reading. ❤️

What a remarkable piece of art. Gorgeous book. Seriously what a beautiful literary accomplishment. Loved it and it‘s so deserving of all the awards!

I thought this story about the writer Thomas Mann was interesting but slightly dry. It was set during the first and second world wars in Germany but focused primarily on Mann. It was a good read but not incredible. 4/5

With the caveat that I know nothing about Mann IRL, so can't comment on how "historical" it really is. For me much more gripping as the Mann family were forced into exile.

While Thomas thought that most of the Germans in Sanary, including Brecht and Walter Benjamin and Stefan Zweig, met merely to grumble in congenial company, Heinrich said that he discussed art and politics with them. ....
"You should spend more time with them,' Heinrich said. "They see beyond the war, and even beyond the peace. They meet to discuss ideas. Important books will come from this.'

It occurred to Thomas that since 1933 he had not often felt free to be very rude to anyone. Part of the daily grind of exile was that it was necessary to do a great deal of smiling and to say very little. He saw no reason, however, not to be rude now. He was in his own house and there was something so insolent about this little English man that he thought required a response.
'I'm afraid I cannot hear you at all,' he said in German.

At first, when books that offended the Nazis were burned in Berlin, Thomas was relieved that his own were not among them. But when Erika returned, she pointed out that all the important Ger man writers, including Heinrich and Klaus, and Brecht and Hermann Hesse, had their books tossed into the fire. It was hardly a badge of honour, she insisted, to be excluded from this.

"They shot an Archduke! They shot an Archduke!'
At first, Thomas thought that it was the opening of a song ....
He was glad that Katia was upstairs as he grabbed Klaus and pointed threateningly at Erika.
'I don't want any more songs! No more songs!'
....
'It isn't a song anyway,' Erika said. 'It's the truth.'
"They shot an Archduke, Klaus said. 'You are the last to know.'
'What Archduke?' he asked.

“The Magician“ is the story of novelist Thomas Mann who won the 1929 Nobel prize in literature. Tóibín focuses on how a wealthy German family and famous author managed to survive despite political differences during the rise and subsequent rule of the Nazis. Excellent read.

#NetGalley #Scribner #TheMagician

An engrossing and challenging reimagined life of Thomas Mann that is brilliantly written. I loved the exploration of creative genius alongside the domestic and political challenges of Mann‘s life and times. I loved Toibin‘s The Master but this is possibly better. Highly recommended

He could imagine decency, but that was hardly a virtue in a time that had grown sinister. He could imagine humanism, but that made no difference in a time that exalted the will of the crowd. He could imagine a frail intelligence, but that meant little in a time that favoured brute strength. As the slow movement came gravely to an end , he realised that if he could summon the courage he would have to entertain evil in a book …

This is the Christmas present I am most looking forward to reading! And the Litsy reviews make my anticipation even greater

Someone at work asked me: wouldn't I be bored with nearly three weeks off?

I enjoyed the history of the first half of the 20th century. Interesting to see how progressive certain areas were even then (women‘s rights, queer rights)

I loved this intimate portrait of Thomas Mann. It‘s a gentle book that lets the reader in, but the prose is masterful, witty & alive. I was transported to Germany & Switzerland between the wars, with Mann‘s Germanness (& later his crisis about this) & the elegant writing. Rich material, but Toibin avoids sentimentality. He finds quiet moments of drama - family tensions, repressed desire - that ring true & lets story & characters shine. A jewel.

This is the book I never knew I wanted to read. Colm Tóibín tells the sweeping story of author Thomas Mann. This was an author I have never even heard of, but and low and behold he was a Nobel Prize winner in literature. This is a long book, but the story is so rich and flowing and I was sad when it ended.

I'm not totally sure what I was expecting from this but after a slow start it was really compelling. It's a fictionalized version of Thomas Mann's life. It turns out that he was a pretty interesting dude who lived about 100 years later than I thought he did. Seeing Germany during both world wars through his perspective was really interesting. His entire family was interesting.

#BookSpinBingo square 9
@TheAromaofBooks

Pub date is 9/7/2021