Historical

The Magician

The Magician

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  • Create Date：2022-02-25 08:52:59
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Colm Tóibín
  • ISBN：024197058X
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Summary

THE SUNDAY TIMES TOP TEN BESTSELLER
SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2022 RATHBONES FOLIO PRIZE

From one of our greatest living writers comes a sweeping novel of unrequited love and exile， war and family。

The Magician tells the story of Thomas Mann， whose life was filled with great acclaim and contradiction。 He would find himself on the wrong side of history in the First World War， cheerleading the German army， but have a clear vision of the future in the second， anticipating the horrors of Nazism。

He would have six children and keep his homosexuality hidden; he was a man forever connected to his family and yet bore witness to the ravages of suicide。 He would write some of the greatest works of European literature， and win the Nobel Prize， but would never return to the country that inspired his creativity。

Through one life， Colm Tóibín tells the breathtaking story of the twentieth century。
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'As with everything Colm Tóibín sets his masterful hand to， The Magician is a great imaginative achievement -- immensely readable， erudite， worldly and knowing， and fully realized' - Richard Ford

'No living novelist dramatizes artistic creation as profoundly， as luminously， as Colm Tóibín 。 。 。 reading him is among the deepest pleasures our literature can offer' - Garth Greenwell

'This is not just a whole life in a novel， it's a whole world' - Katharina Volckmer

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Reviews

Msellen88 ，

A tedious read。 This doesn't compare to the quality of writing in Toibin's masterpiece "Brooklyn"。 I didn't find Thomas Mann's life all that interesting and he's not much of a likable person。 He was clearly tormented most of his life and when he should have voiced stronger opposition to Hitler， he was weak willed。 It seems unforgivable to me that he was so cold toward his mother （she died in poverty while he enjoyed great wealth） or his adult son Klaus （who died alone in Cannes from an overdose） A tedious read。 This doesn't compare to the quality of writing in Toibin's masterpiece "Brooklyn"。 I didn't find Thomas Mann's life all that interesting and he's not much of a likable person。 He was clearly tormented most of his life and when he should have voiced stronger opposition to Hitler， he was weak willed。 It seems unforgivable to me that he was so cold toward his mother （she died in poverty while he enjoyed great wealth） or his adult son Klaus （who died alone in Cannes from an overdose） and Mann decided not attend his son's funeral。 Toibin's careful and thorough research into Mann's life is admirable， but not enough to make it an engrossing novel。 。。。more

Dulcie ，

A fascinating life， beautifully told。 This is a true tour-de-force from Colm Toibin。 David Marr opened my eyes and mind to Patrick White and Toibin has done great same for Thomas Mann。I cannot recommend this too highly。

Barb ，

There was a great amount of history I learned from reading this book。 I did not know a lot about Thomas Mann。 So I am glad I read this。 At the same time， I was disappointed to read how dysfunctional his family was。 I was also saddened to read how the world both admired him and his work and then after the war and when he got older， it dismissed him。 I did a lot of googling with this book， because while it is historical fiction， there are plenty of facts to delve deeper into and images of people a There was a great amount of history I learned from reading this book。 I did not know a lot about Thomas Mann。 So I am glad I read this。 At the same time， I was disappointed to read how dysfunctional his family was。 I was also saddened to read how the world both admired him and his work and then after the war and when he got older， it dismissed him。 I did a lot of googling with this book， because while it is historical fiction， there are plenty of facts to delve deeper into and images of people and places to see rather than imagine。 I enjoyed the first three quarters of this tome， but honestly I was so annoyed at the antics of those around Thomas Mann， especially his children that towards the end I couldn't wait for the book to be done。 But that's just me and my opinion。 It is very well written。 Sometimes even lyrical。 I recommend it to those who love history， music， Germany and literature。 。。。more

David ，

Colm Toíbín was recently presented with the David Cohen Prize which is the UK and Ireland’s equivalent to the Nobel Prize for Literature。 It is awarded biennially for the lifetime’s body of an author’s work and has a stellar list of previous winners。 Toíbín’s latest novel， The Magician （Viking）， takes on the life of Thomas Mann， himself a Nobel laureate。 The writing is masterly and the depicts Mann as an imperfect family man on the outside， acclaimed by his devoted readers， but with secret passi Colm Toíbín was recently presented with the David Cohen Prize which is the UK and Ireland’s equivalent to the Nobel Prize for Literature。 It is awarded biennially for the lifetime’s body of an author’s work and has a stellar list of previous winners。 Toíbín’s latest novel， The Magician （Viking）， takes on the life of Thomas Mann， himself a Nobel laureate。 The writing is masterly and the depicts Mann as an imperfect family man on the outside， acclaimed by his devoted readers， but with secret passions and idiosyncrasies of his own that he occasionally gives to characters in his books rather than wear them overtly himself。 It’s fascinating as a piece of history in Germany in the first half of the 20th Century， and his emigration to America to escape World War II and subsequent self-exile from his homeland。 It is brought to life in such an engaging fashion and with such breathtaking craft。 I have to admit to knowing little of Mann before and will rectify this as a result of loving this outstanding novel。 。。。more

Claire N ，

3。5 starsWell researched。 Parts of the novel were a little slow to me， but parts were also fascinating， especially the chapters from 1930 - 1948。 A little to broad of a time frame for my personal taste - felt like a non fiction biography at times。

Cindy James ，

Fascinating historical fiction about the life of Thomas Mann， his family， and his inner turmoil as he struggles with his own sexuality and unsettled emotions。 A history and experience of the life of a celebrated German writer throughout both World Wars， the rise of Hitler and fascism， and Mann's own inner conflicts as he can no longer defend the Germany that has always been his home。 Wealth and privilege allow him and his family to escape to America。 The complexities of relationships and charact Fascinating historical fiction about the life of Thomas Mann， his family， and his inner turmoil as he struggles with his own sexuality and unsettled emotions。 A history and experience of the life of a celebrated German writer throughout both World Wars， the rise of Hitler and fascism， and Mann's own inner conflicts as he can no longer defend the Germany that has always been his home。 Wealth and privilege allow him and his family to escape to America。 The complexities of relationships and character development were so beautifully depicted。 Literature， politics， classical music are all explored in this novel。 So very different from anything else I have read by Toibin， but now one of my favorites。 。。。more

Patricia ，

This is a novel based on the life of Thomas Mann， novelist， Nobel Prize winner and member of a larger than life family whose doings overshadowed him at least within these pages。 In his 80 or so years he had to navigate Germany during the Great War， Hitler’s Germany， America during World War II and after the peace when an intolerant anti communist hysteria overtook the country which had given him refuge during the war in Europe。 The twentieth century was not a comfortable time to be alive for a G This is a novel based on the life of Thomas Mann， novelist， Nobel Prize winner and member of a larger than life family whose doings overshadowed him at least within these pages。 In his 80 or so years he had to navigate Germany during the Great War， Hitler’s Germany， America during World War II and after the peace when an intolerant anti communist hysteria overtook the country which had given him refuge during the war in Europe。 The twentieth century was not a comfortable time to be alive for a German man who was born near the end of the century before。There is a fascinating picture of Munich between the wars， the drugs， the sexual freedom， the outrageous behaviour。Thomas Mann was always a man out of his own country。 He left his hometown to live in Munich where he was an outsider， then Switzerland for safety in the 1930s where he felt alien， then a brief and unsatisfactory stay in France， then an alien and unfriendly America which he didn’t understand， then back to Switzerland when American anti communism became toxic。 He thought he could never live in Germany amongst Germans after what they had done。 I don’t find Tóibín easy to read。 I almost abandoned this book in the first 100 pages。 And when it became interesting and page turning it was still not easy。 But then I would gasp in wonder at a passage for instance when he is listening to and reacting to music。 The description of his younger brother playing。 Beethoven in a string quartet is wonderful and we follow as the music from each instrument winds around each musician and answers and becomes a whole。 I get no impression of his books， just the time and absorption of the writer in his task。 。。。more

Patricia ，

I have read other books by Colm Toibin and the premise of this one interested me。 I knew nothing about Thomas Mann so the account of his life was very interesting。 The book is well researched in order to provide a fictional historical biography， but I had a hard time thinking of Mann as a literary genius。 He seemed out of touch with his country， his family and you never get a true sense of what inspires his writing。 I almost felt that Katia was his mother more than his wife， as she was always pr I have read other books by Colm Toibin and the premise of this one interested me。 I knew nothing about Thomas Mann so the account of his life was very interesting。 The book is well researched in order to provide a fictional historical biography， but I had a hard time thinking of Mann as a literary genius。 He seemed out of touch with his country， his family and you never get a true sense of what inspires his writing。 I almost felt that Katia was his mother more than his wife， as she was always protecting him and advising him。 Interesting family dynamics and well written novel。 4 stars and I may pick up one of Mann’s books。 。。。more

Sarah M ，

Colm Tóibín never disappoints。

Nick Mueller ，

It was just not quite "Magical" for me， actually growing tedious at times。 Besides the interesting stories of his youth， most of the book consists of revisits to his political timidity and， even mores， his homosexual desires， realized or unrealized。 The children， and other characters seem to be viewed only through a very narrow lens and we only meet them in those ways。 For the most part， it seemed to me that we could have learned all this about Thomas Mann in a long magazine article rather than It was just not quite "Magical" for me， actually growing tedious at times。 Besides the interesting stories of his youth， most of the book consists of revisits to his political timidity and， even mores， his homosexual desires， realized or unrealized。 The children， and other characters seem to be viewed only through a very narrow lens and we only meet them in those ways。 For the most part， it seemed to me that we could have learned all this about Thomas Mann in a long magazine article rather than a 400+ page novel。 I was disappointed by this book。 。。。more

Cara Wood ，

A writer's life during two world wars。 Colm Toibin imagines the inner thoughts and daily thoughts of German novelist Thomas Mann。 A writer's life during two world wars。 Colm Toibin imagines the inner thoughts and daily thoughts of German novelist Thomas Mann。 。。。more

Sherry Stanton ，

Toibin captured Thomas Mann and his family in a way that drew me in， and didn’t ever fade。 I knew nothing of the author of The Magic Mountain， and had not read any of his books。 Perhaps I’ll start now！

Rusha ，

Transporting literary fiction。A sprawling account of the fortunes of Thomas Mann and his family from the late nineteenth through to the mid twentieth century。 Although Toibin has clearly researched the Mann family exhaustively， the book never feels daunting。 It moves gently and fluidly; Toibin colours factual events and characters like a master painter， bringing them — slowly， lovingly — into vibrant life。 And even as he reimagines the most private moments of Mann’s life， Toibin is always respec Transporting literary fiction。A sprawling account of the fortunes of Thomas Mann and his family from the late nineteenth through to the mid twentieth century。 Although Toibin has clearly researched the Mann family exhaustively， the book never feels daunting。 It moves gently and fluidly; Toibin colours factual events and characters like a master painter， bringing them — slowly， lovingly — into vibrant life。 And even as he reimagines the most private moments of Mann’s life， Toibin is always respectful。 Mann is allowed to remain something of a mystery — a great artist who， in his everyday life， grappled with imposter syndrome， familial expectations and thwarted desires。But it is sense of place， which infuses every scene， that really sets this book apart。 Toibin deftly whisks the reader from the bohemian cafes of interwar Munich to the clean-cut streets of Princeton then back again to a broken， bomb-riddled Munich， post-war。 This talent for conjuring up a setting is a kind of magic that， surely， even Mann — the Magician himself — would have been enchanted by。 。。。more

Gianni BM Duvillier ，

Heel mooi onder de hersenpan van de Tovenaar， met een geweldige mix van geschiedenis en ontstaansgeschiedenis van zijn meesterwerken。

Lauren Klein ，

This is a beautifully written book about a flawed， brilliant author and his extraordinary family。 While it is not a holocaust novel， it shows the barbarism of Germans and the cruelty of nationalism。

Ernie ，

After enjoying his previous fictionalised biography of Henry James， The Master and reading his regular journalism， I eagerly began more ‘faction’ with his life of Thomas Mann。 As I did， I wondered more about the different choices of material that Toibin was making for what was becoming more of a novel and less of a life When D H Lawrence was criticised for writing autobiography in Sons and Lovers， he declared that his book had form and so too， has Toibin’s book。 For a start， it doesn’t begin wit After enjoying his previous fictionalised biography of Henry James， The Master and reading his regular journalism， I eagerly began more ‘faction’ with his life of Thomas Mann。 As I did， I wondered more about the different choices of material that Toibin was making for what was becoming more of a novel and less of a life When D H Lawrence was criticised for writing autobiography in Sons and Lovers， he declared that his book had form and so too， has Toibin’s book。 For a start， it doesn’t begin with birth and end in death: Thomas is found， as a young boy， like a character in a stage play in the grand house of his Senator father in the nineteenth century German Hanseatic trading town on the Baltic which would become the setting for Buddenbrooks， his most famous novel， published at the extraordinarily young age of 25。Chapter two opens with him at sixteen， in rapture attending a performance of Wagner’s opera， Lohengrin and moves with almost a sense of inevitability to his thoughts and feelings walking home， on what might be happening behind lit bedroom windows and his memory of his friend Armin who had rejected his love poem。 Then I find him a year later in his sensual experience with Wilri， an older boy， in the neighbouring bedroom， before Toibin deposits him in Munich set to work at a clerk’s desk in a fire insurance company。 To me， this begins the structure and the central idea that connects Toibin’s fictional Thomas， boy and man: he lives a life of approach-avoidance under the various controls of the dominant people in his life， including the Nazis。 Thomas， despite his world wide literary successes and Nobel Prize， never escapes to live his own life， he is always under someone’s control， like a double agent spy， except in his study， where he is himself， writing and imagining。His one achievement was to avoid becoming the business executive of his father’s firm， something also achieved by his older brother Heinrich， already a published writer with whom Thomas shares his poems。 After his father’s death， his guardians and his mother move him to Munich and the clerk’s desk but there， he has one further success: with the help of his sister he leaves the job and goes with Heinrich to Naples where he thinks out the form of Buddenbooks in which he places himself as the heir to the merchant father， who would， like the firm be doomed。I would have liked to learn more of his wife， Katia， his secular Jewish wife， who， stricken with tuberculosis， gave him the story from the sanatarium in Davos Switzerland that became his other successful novel The Magic Mountain。 Toibin invents scenes between them ，creating the characters but little else of her editorial actions here and later。 He has Thomas spending most of his life in his study writing and reading while Katia produces six children and runs an expensive mansion house with servants。 After another success with Death in Venice， Toibin almost has him acting out in a similar way to Thomas’s fictional Aschenbach with his infatuation with yet another Klaus， Heuser， ‘our little angel from Dusseldorf’ as Klaus Mann described him， older at 17 than the Polish boy at the beach in Venice but one whom Thomas’s daughters know， is a controller， whose ventures into the writer’s room and persuasive relationships with younger daughter Monica， leads to his staying with the family and returning to Munich with them， seemingly for a long time。 Heuser， after two weeks in Munich marvels at Katia’s subtle but irrevocable suggestion that he leave。 After a farewell embrace， begun by Heuser， Toibin has Thomas write about those experiences and feelings in detail in his diary but later burn those pages for fear of the Nazis。So， is Heuser fictional or not？ Should I care？ Why spoil a good story with the truth when the best fiction is composed with beautiful lies？ A biographer provides extensive footnotes to support their characterisation and is often criticised for statements such as Thomas might have thought or said anything that is not in the primary sources。 Toibin probably had sufficient funding from his publisher to pay researchers， as he does provide three and a half closely printed pages of biographies and historical accounts of the Nazi period and especially those about the Jewish refugees like the Mann family who tried to emigrate to the USA as the truth about the Holocaust emerged。 Did the Mann diaries contain any of the emotional details that Toibin creates about Thomas’s unconsummated relationships with beautiful young men or are these the added characterisations that make a novel much more engaging than a biography？ I found his Thomas to be timid， weak and dull as Toibin has Mann’s children find him。 Perhaps this is why Toibin gives so many pages to the life of the Mann’s in Switzerland and the USA after the Nazi seizure of power in 1932。 His Thomas Mann was protected from the German hyper inflation in the 1920’s and 30’s by his international dollar royalties and after the scare of being shouted down by Nazis in his 1930 lecture in the Beethovensaal in Berlin， he makes no further public criticism of the Nazis who allowed the sale of his books to continue。 During his visit to Harvard in 1935 to receive an honorary doctorate alongside Einstein， he was controlled in his statements by Agnes Meyer， the powerful owner of the Washington Post who gets him a meeting with the Roosevelts who have to move subtly to overcome the Isolationists。 Only on his return to Switzerland is he persuaded by Katia， Klaus and Erika to write a denunciation of the Nazi regime and his books are banned。 The anguish， shame and anger caused by life in the time of the Nazis is not described in the reactions of Thomas but in those of his extraordinary children and his older brother Heinrich。Toibin’s Thomas Mann to me， was an accomplished writer who led an enclosed， sheltered life inside that room of one’s own， with a considerable income from his wife’s inheritance and his international royalties。 Toibin’s success is making him a victim of those shockingly intense cultural changes and obscenities of those times in Europe which he describes so well in his own beautifully clear prose。 I would have liked to have him suffer for his indecisions and prevarications。 To me， this Thomas is a Prufrock， unable to eat the peach。 。。。more

Beck ，

this makes me want to learn german and buy all of thomas' books。 imagine making money writing about your passive， homoerotic obsessions this makes me want to learn german and buy all of thomas' books。 imagine making money writing about your passive， homoerotic obsessions 。。。more

Theresa ，

I picked up this book on a whim。 I had no idea that I'd get so engrossed in the story of Thomas Mann， but I did， and I'm so happy I read the novel。 I picked up this book on a whim。 I had no idea that I'd get so engrossed in the story of Thomas Mann， but I did， and I'm so happy I read the novel。 。。。more

Danielle Kim ，

Artful， humorous， captivating。 I want the same novel， now from Katia’s perspective。 I kept thinking this would make an incredible TV show—Schitt’s Creek meets The Great…meets…Friday Night Lights？ My TV knowledge is too weak。 Half the cast would receive noms， but it’s whoever plays Katia that will be guaranteed a win。All that said I might add there are parts of this story that are a bit disturbing… set in the context of two world wars and homophobia/sexual repression。

Eileen ，

Historical fiction of the life of Nobel Prize author Thomas Mann。 Many parallels of white supremacy today & Nazi Germany。 “…the German people did not understand that their present calamity was the direct， inevitable consequence of what they， as a collective body had done to the world。”

Thomasso ，

A really good book - not just a biography， but a novel indeed， in which Thomas Mann is set against the developments in Germany and the rest of the world。 I loved Buddenbrooks （visited the house in Lübeck） and a couple of other things。 Minor point of 'criticism' is （my impression） that the book petered out a bit towards the end， but then picked up towards the very end， when the Manns toured in Germany and decided to live in Switzerland。 A really good book - not just a biography， but a novel indeed， in which Thomas Mann is set against the developments in Germany and the rest of the world。 I loved Buddenbrooks （visited the house in Lübeck） and a couple of other things。 Minor point of 'criticism' is （my impression） that the book petered out a bit towards the end， but then picked up towards the very end， when the Manns toured in Germany and decided to live in Switzerland。 。。。more

Vicky ，

It was such a brilliant book， getting better and better till the last word！ For any Thomas Mann's admire it is a window into the ordinary life of a very unique personality。 The genius of a writer comes alive in such simplicity and depth， his character portrayed so real， so vulnerable in all its human insecurities and complexities。 You follow the events of the last century through the history of Mann's family， the torments of the War reflected in the torments and sufferings of his children and re It was such a brilliant book， getting better and better till the last word！ For any Thomas Mann's admire it is a window into the ordinary life of a very unique personality。 The genius of a writer comes alive in such simplicity and depth， his character portrayed so real， so vulnerable in all its human insecurities and complexities。 You follow the events of the last century through the history of Mann's family， the torments of the War reflected in the torments and sufferings of his children and relatives ， who experience the disintegration of identity， nationhood and belonging。 And some of them could not survive and accept the new reality。 In the middle of many dramas and struggles is Thomas Mann staying centered because his writing is his strength。 While his books are destroyed in his motherland， he is a voice of a real Germany， even in exile。 。。。more

Charles Fischer ，

A beautiful and exquisitely told look at the life of the great German writer Thomas Mann; from his birth in Lubeck in the late 19th century through his rise as a writer， to his expat years in America， to his return to Germany。

Aidan Mitchell ，

A very in-depth look at the life of Thomas Mann， whose life spanned a multitude of major world events。 Due to the need to span his whole life， I felt like the book didn't spend enough time analysing certain events such as WW1， which feels quite rushed。Furthermore， in my opinion， fictional biographies are more effective when it is written from the perspective of someone close to the main character。 However， this one is purely from the perspective of TM， which means you don't really get a huge fee A very in-depth look at the life of Thomas Mann， whose life spanned a multitude of major world events。 Due to the need to span his whole life， I felt like the book didn't spend enough time analysing certain events such as WW1， which feels quite rushed。Furthermore， in my opinion， fictional biographies are more effective when it is written from the perspective of someone close to the main character。 However， this one is purely from the perspective of TM， which means you don't really get a huge feel for how his actions impact others。 。。。more

Gail Richmond ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 TLong and involved; reads like a detailed biography。 Thought I would quit at 28%， but I persevered。 Actually became interesting in the last third of the book， but sure a lot of extraneous details to plow through for little benefit。Rating: 2。5

Genevieve ，

Not as good as The Master， but biographically interesting。

Barbara ，

This is a very thoughtful book。 So much family drama in the midst of social， political， economic and cultural challenges over the decades。

Rochelle White ，

Thomas Mann was a complex writer。 Apparently this book was tediously researched but I wish there was a little less fictionalizing， more perspective from others （not just Mann）， and more in parenthesis indicate the actual words of Mann。

Tim ，

Historical fiction about the life of Thomas Mann。 It humanizes the great author as he and his family face the rise of Hitler

My Kindle and a Cup of Tea ，

“In ways， he thought， he was too old for all this change。 He wanted to be in his study， and already he was thinking about a novel he might write and hoping that he would live long enough to complete it。 He had seen enough Germanies， he thought， for a single lifetime。 This new one would have to make progress without his presence…”‘The Magician’ （2021） by Colm TóibínA fictional account of the life of Nobel Prize winning German novelist， Thomas Mann （1875-1955）。In the last few months I have spent a “In ways， he thought， he was too old for all this change。 He wanted to be in his study， and already he was thinking about a novel he might write and hoping that he would live long enough to complete it。 He had seen enough Germanies， he thought， for a single lifetime。 This new one would have to make progress without his presence…”‘The Magician’ （2021） by Colm TóibínA fictional account of the life of Nobel Prize winning German novelist， Thomas Mann （1875-1955）。In the last few months I have spent a lot of my reading time in the wood panelled studies of European intellectuals in the opening decades of the twentieth century: armchairs， afternoon tea， polite conversation， deep longing and philosophy， love and sex。 After ‘Any Human Heart’ and ‘Snow Country’ I felt very comfortable in the world of Thomas Mann。 What an extraordinary life he lived in tumultuous times encompassing WWI， the Weimar Republic， the rise of Nazism， exile to America and WWII。I have not read Colm Tóibín before。 He brings the different people and places to life in a lively and thoroughly engaging way。 Mann， his wonderful wife， Katia， and boisterous family are all convincingly realised。 The portrait of this diverse and complicated group is frank and unsentimental， and has left me believing I have lived eight decades over the last week。 After finishing just now， I feel that bitter sweet sense of ending and loss you get after a really special book。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Magician

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Magician&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Magician&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0