Tristan
1903
Published in 1903, 'Tristan' is a novella by Thomas Mann set in a sanatorium called Einfried, where patients confront their ailments and existential dilemmas. The narrative centers on Gabriele Klöterjahn, a young woman recovering from childbirth, and her complex relationship with the enigmatic writer Detlev Spinell. Mann's work explores themes of beauty, illness, and the human condition, blending vivid character portrayals with a richly described setting. This novella is notable for its exploration of the intersection between art and reality, reflecting Mann's early literary style.
Editions
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“Kindly permit me to tell you, sir, that I hate you. I hate you and your child, as I hate the life of which you are the representative: cheap, ridiculous, but yet triumphant life, the everlasting antipodes and deadly enemy of beauty. I cannot say I despise you - for I am honest. You are stronger than I. I have no armour for the struggle between us, I have only the Word, avenging weapon of the weak. Today I have availed myself of this weapon. This letter is nothing but an act of revenge - you see how honourable I am - and if any word of mine is sharp and bright and beautiful enough to strike home, to make you feel the presence of a power you do not know, to shake even a minute your robust equilibrium, I shall rejoice indeed. -””
— Thomas Mann
“But the boredom of Frau Spatz had by now reached that pitch where it distorts the countenance of man, makes the eyes protrude from the head, and lends the features a corpselike and terrifying aspect. More than that, this music acted on the nerves that controlled her digestion, producing in her dyspeptic organism such malaise that she was really afraid she would have an attack.””
— Thomas Mann
“Miss von Osterloh had looked through it once during an idle fifteen minutes and pronunce it "quite sophisticated," which veredict was her euphemism for "inhumanly boring.””
— Thomas Mann
![Tonio Kröger[Erstausgabe; Illustrationen Von Erich M. Simon]](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fd3b2n8gj62qnwr.cloudfront.net%2FCOVERS%2Fgutenberg_covers75k%2Febook-38692.png&w=3840&q=75)
