Buddenbrooks is a 1901 novel by German author Thomas Mann. It's the story of 4 generations of the Buddenbrooks family. Published when he was just 26 years old, this was his first novel and was specifically cited by the committee when he won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1929. It has had 4 screen adaptations. The book is quite long -the Everyman's Library edition is 731 pages. It can be read online only in German. Though the book itself is in the public domain I can't find a translation online. Seeking this book out is worth the time, and reading the book is an easy task. I found myself swept along, caught up in the characters' lives.
from the dust jacket:
Buddenbrooks, first published in Germany in 1901, when Mann was only twenty-six, has become a classic of modern literature.A Common Reader concludes, "Undoubtedly a classic (who am I even to confirm such an obvious fact?), and worth every one of five stars, I would say that this is a novel all serious readers should read, and I am only surprised that its taken me so long to get to it."
It is the story of four generations of a wealthy bourgeois family in northern Germany facing the advent of modernity; in an uncertain new world, the family’s bonds and traditions begin to disintegrate. As Mann charts the Buddenbrooks’ decline from prosperity to bankruptcy, from moral and psychic soundness to sickly piety, artistic decadence, and madness, he ushers the reader into a world of stunning vitality, pieced together from births and funerals, weddings and divorces, recipes, gossip, and earthy humor.
In its immensity of scope, richness of detail, and fullness of humanity, buddenbrooks surpasses all other modern family chronicles. With remarkable fidelity to the original German text, this superb translation emphasizes the magnificent scale of Mann’s achievement in this riveting, tragic novel.
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I've heard of this one over the years but not read it. Big book, quite an undertaking. Sometimes I'm in the mood for a really big book though
ReplyDeleteI've heard of this one over the years but not read it. Big book, quite an undertaking. Sometimes I'm in the mood for a really big book though
ReplyDeleteIt is long, but doesn't drag. Not really a page-turner, but on the other hand I had trouble putting it down. Fascinating.
DeleteThis is a great book - I don´t remember it being that long? A film came in German not long ago. It can be seen on youtube, dubbed to Hungarian (at least I think it is), with English subtitles. I haven´t seen it myself, I just recorded it to a dvd and put it away for later, but it looks really beautiful. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QdHalBYBNE
ReplyDeleteI'm checking out that video. Thanks!
DeleteWow, it's long! lol But I guess it had to be to cover 4 generations.
DeleteThanks for sharing this. and thanks to Viktoria for sharing the video address, too. That is something I could watch while doing other things, as opposed to reading, which requires time set aside.
ReplyDeleteI was thinking about that yesterday and how many books you read each month, yet also take time to travel and write reviews. I apparently don't read that fast, so all I can say is HATS OFF to you for all you accomplish in one day.
I am a fast reader, that's certain :) And I do other things while I watch English-language films. (Sub-titles require I look at the screen the whole time....) I don't post as I finish things. I try not to have more than one post a day, so I schedule posts in the next open slot. Some books I can finish in a day but not many, and so I always have 2 or 3 books going at a time. And I don't do any crafting ;)
DeleteI disagree with your last statement. Reading and writing ARE crafts, and have truly become a lost art, especially with the youth of America!
ReplyDeleteThat's a sweet thing for you to say :) I guess I should really be more mindful in all my activities. I'd see them more the way you do if I were, I think.
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