- Paperback: 736 pages
- Publisher: Vintage; Reprint edition (Jun 28 1994)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0679752609
- ISBN-13: 978-0679752608
- Product Dimensions: 13.2 x 3.3 x 20.3 cm
- Shipping Weight: 562 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #253,012 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
A superior new translation of Mann's 1901 saga about four generations of an affluent German family.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
The reissue of Mann's wonderful first novel in a new translation is a cause for rejoicing. In loving, ironic, and sympathetic detail, Mann portrays several generations of a merchant family who belong to the bourgeois aristocracy in Lubeck, tracking them from high point to decline. While the author himself helped Lowe-Porter in the authorized English translation (1938), Woods simply has a better ear for dialog and for smoothing Mann's German syntax into a more naturally flowing English one. He is even so bold as to tackle puns that Lowe-Porter pretended weren't there. Highly recommended.
- Michael T. O'Pecko, Towson State Univ., Md.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
- Michael T. O'Pecko, Towson State Univ., Md.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most helpful customer reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Surprisingly Resonant Portrayal of a Lost Era,
By Melvin Sico "melvinsico" (Singapore) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Buddenbrooks: The Decline of a Family (Paperback)
In his 1762 treatise "The Social Contract," Rousseau wrote: "Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains." Mann's magnum opus, pregnant with bleak symbolism and teeming with lives lived in quiet desperation, highlights this stark fact."Buddenbrooks" is the story of a merchant family and their wholesale grain-trading business. It covers the rise of the Buddenbrook firm from the days of the German confederation, to its eventual dissolution during the early years of the Deutsches Reich. As the novel progresses, it becomes increasingly clear that the Buddenbrook firm is an unyielding prison from which escape is nearly impossible. Despite their wealth and status in the community, the Buddenbrooks were not truly free to pursue their own happiness. In the name of business prestige and family honor, Antonie Buddenbrook, daughter of patriarch Jean Buddenbrook, forgoes the love of her life to marry a cunning businessman who marries her for her dowry, which he uses to prop up his failing business. Thomas, the heir to the Buddenbrook empire, witnessing his sister's sacrifice, breaks off his youthful affair with a common girl and decides to focus his energies on learning the ropes of the world of business. Christian, Thomas's brother, was early on marked to be a scholar due to his wit; however, the untimely death of Jean Buddenbrook compels him to take up a position in the firm. In due course, events and personal circumstances unmask Christian's dissipation and mental incapacity for the practical pursuits of commerce. Gotthold, the 'prodigal son' and stepbrother of Jean Buddenbrook, decides to marry beneath his station, and is disowned in a particularly acrimonious manner. Hanno, Thomas's son and heir, longs to be freed from his reprehensible duties to the firm and the family, and takes comfort in his ability to express himself through the piano. Thus, there is little hyperbole in saying that none of the major characters achieve self-actualization. Furthermore, the conservative nature of their business, encapsulated in the ancestral admonition not to do anything that will hinder one's sleep at night, meant that the entrepreneurial spirit of the early days of the firm would slowly be extinguished, to be replaced by an unwillingness to broaden the firm's horizons. One can only imagine Thomas's anguish when one of his grain trades went against the firm. Indeed, his ill-timed demise, paralleling his father's manner of death, was preceded by painful self-examination while burdened by the realization that the firm and his mercantile abilities were on the wane. The novel, surprisingly, is timeless. The themes resonate clearly even today. Or perhaps, it should not be surprising to learn that fortunes wax and wane, and that wealth and stature are not preconditions for happiness. "Buddenbrooks" should be a must-read for all business students--and students of life.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Decadence of a family,
By
This review is from: Buddenbrooks: The Decline of a Family (Paperback)
This novel (from the hand of Thomas Mann) was published in the early years of the XXth century. It tells the story of the decadence of a burgouise family, from its highest point of economic power, to its desintegration. The beginning of the novel has to do with the new house that has been bought by the patriach of the family. We meet there the three brothers, whose actions will be followed in the novel. Thomas, Cristian and Tony (Antoinnete). As they grow up, they learn the rules to survive their society and maintain their status. Tony has to learn that she cannot follow her love, if it is against the interests of her family. Thomas learns that he must follow the footsteps of his father... and Christian learns that he has no role in the world, but to annoy his brother. The world changes as it brings new rich people to town, with new ways of making business. Slowly the Buddenbrooks begin to lose their economic stability. This novel from Thomas Mann (a somewhat autobiographical one) describes the spaces, making it clear through them the kind of world this family lives in. There is a sharp picture of the characters... not only physical, but mental.I will always remember Tony's romance in Travemünde, and how an idilic place is beautifully described, only to be soon reminded, that it is only a romantic fantasy... no more than that. Her later marriage is memorable, too. It is heartbreaking and humilliating. Another memorable moment is the realization of Thomas', that his son is not to follow his footsteps into the family business. Finally, watch for that description of the last of the Buddenbrooks' normal day: how terrifying was school for him... his friendships and his ailment. It is just adorable and moving. Mann's acute use of irony allows the reader to follow these intense and funny moments (like the revolution being put to rest after the senator Buddenbrook tells the people that they already had a revolution) without losing the ability to think these episodes in a broader picture (cultural, social and political). This book is worth not only buying and having, but to read... and more than that... to read it more than once. It's a real work of art.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Highly recommended!,
By A Customer
This review is from: Buddenbrooks: The Decline of a Family (Paperback)
I read this book for an Independent Study on the works of Thomas Mann. Although I found the beginning a tad slow, it soon picked up. For a book written so long ago, there is a lot in it that applies to life today. In addition, the characters are highly developed, and come alive on the page. You actually CARE about what happens to this family. Thomas Mann wove in so much symbolism and made everything connect so wonderfully, this book, although long, is sure to become a favorite. I would recommend this book to everyone. I have always been an avid reader, but this was my first real reading of Thomas Mann. He does not disappoint.
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