
Gustav Aschenbach, a celebrated author whose life has been governed by strict discipline, finds himself restless after a demanding winter of work. Seeking a break from the rigors of Munich, he takes a spontaneous trip to the lagoon city of Venice, hoping the sea air will restore his waning energy. The city's muted spring light and quiet canals immediately stir a sense of both calm and unease within him.
While strolling along the promenade, Aschenbach’s gaze is caught by a young, luminous stranger lounging on the beach, his beauty as striking as the sun‑lit water. The encounter awakens in the writer a dormant longing, prompting him to question the balance between artistic rigor and the allure of sensual experience. As the days unfold, the city becomes a mirror for his inner conflict, where the pursuit of perfection meets the inevitable pull of desire.
Language
en
Duration
~2 hours (164K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Laura Natal Rodrigues at Free Literature (Images generously made available by Hathi Trust Digital Library.)
Release date
2021-08-16
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1875–1955
Best known for richly layered novels like Buddenbrooks, Death in Venice, and The Magic Mountain, this German writer brought psychological depth and moral tension to stories about family, art, illness, and society. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1929 and remains one of the major voices of 20th-century European fiction.
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