Customer Reviews

Doctor Faustus: The Life of the German Composer Adrian Leverkuhn as Told by a Friend

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The work itself has been well-reviewed here. But Woods's translation, at least in the hardcover edition, makes some huge mistakes with musical terminology. The worst is the translation of the German pitch "B" as B in English: it should be B-flat, as the German pitch "H" is our B. This makes a world of difference in the discussion of musical passages, and in general one finds that Woods is not the most felicitous translater of musical concepts. It's a shame, because musical concepts are absolutely central to the concerns of the novel.

Mann's gorgeous, rich prose cannot save this dull, plodding tale from being an ordeal to read. The same density of language which charms the reader in the beginning becomes an irritant as hundreds of pages pass and almost literally nothing happens. Characters are well drawn, but in gloomy colors which evoke no sympathy. Not a single character stands as a hero; few are even likable. The narrator is a long-winded bore. In many respects, Adrian, the subject of this fictitious biography, remains inscrutable to the very end. Having loved THE MAGIC MOUNTAIN, I persevered to the end in the hope of finding something to make the time invested seem worthwhile. I was disappointed.

An appropriate axiom drawn from this book - "If you seek to do hard things you'll have it hard."

This book is not an easy read - you'll have it hard - but it's worth the effort. The prose style is complex, perhaps partly due to the long windedness of the German language but also due to Mann's prose style. However, it is enjoyable and pleasantly challenging in its complexity, convoluted in a charming way.

My own knowledge of music theory is really too limited to have gotten much out of the occasional passage regarding the development of music. If you are not "au fait" with counterpoint, polyphony, chords and harmony you will have to drudge through these sections but they are few. Despite not being an aficionado of classical music, I enjoyed the discussion of Beethoven and how not being able to hear was in some way liberating to him as a composer.

I can see parallels between the idea that Leverkuhn is trying to somehow move music forward in an age where it is difficult to avoid being accused of rehashing the old or find something new which is actually worth listening to and Mann's experience as a writer, trying to move the novel forward in a fresh new way. In the same way that Lvekuhn adheres to a rigid system and tries to develop something free and beatiful within the constricts of that system, I wonder if Mann is not also attempting something similar in literature.

I found it interesting to read what is essentially an apology from a German humanist for the terrible deeds of his nation during its Nazi love affair.

I think I will read something lighter to rest my weary brain but I am now a fan of Herr Mann.

This is considered by some to be Mann's last great work. Great it is, though perhaps not the monumental triumph equal to the Magic Mountain. This novel is a Faustian story--its hero is the German composer Adrian Leverkuhn, a musician who becomes so tormented with his music and so obsessed with creative genius that he makes a pact with the devil and bargains away his soul for twenty-four years of unparalleled musical ability.

As always, Mann's work is full of philosophical and theological debates, and there is also a good deal of musical discussion here as well. Adrian's deal with the dark one is a metaphor for Germany in the period during and between the two great World Wars. Like his homeland, Adrian becomes obsessed with power and glory, and revolutionizes music to such a great extent that the outside world is repulsed by it. In the end, like Germany, his power and glory come to an end, and as Serenus (the narrator of the story) sits writing in the midst of the allied invasion of Germany, Adrian is finally called to pay his debt.

Mann's narrative is always very compelling, and this is no exception. And, as usual, there is much deeper meaning than what is perceived at the surface, and the poignant and important message of the novel is the danger of becoming over-greedy for power, and of falling victim to one's own ambitions (as both Adrian and Germany do). Adrian loses his ability to love, and he can never regain it, not even when he ultimately seeks redemption. This is a great spin on the Faustian concept, and also a very powerful novel about the effects of the German Reich during World Wars 1 and 2.

I found "Dr. Faustus" the most challenging of all Mann's novels to read. It is dense with symbolism, history, philosophy and digressions into frank editorializing by the author, who interjects his voice into the story in a disconcerting way.

The philosophical ramblings of "The Magic Mountain" are similar--the Dionysian Weltanschaung of the Jesuit (Naphta) and The Voluptuary (Peeperkorn) versus the Appolonian (Settembrini) are used as metaphors for a debauched and dying Old Europe versus the New Europe to be reborn after the convulsions of World War I. And they are also symbolic of the failure of "pure reason" and politically correct Art to save a society with no soul, where human lives are scored on a worth-scale and have no intrinsic value as endowed by their Creator. In "Dr. Faustus", Mann revisits the German split personality (order versus bloody chaos) and makes it more intimate; he desperately wants to unearth what is it about the German Soul that gave us both World War I and then its offspring World War II and Hitler. Mann spends the rest of the book examining the German soul in the character of Adrian Leverkuehn and the forces influencing his life.

This is a brilliant book in that it takes the favorite Faust theme so loved by the Germans and re-tells it in a compelling fashion. Where the reader will have difficulty is that they will miss many of the character names that are sly jokes (if you are not a German speaker), and in following Mann's dense prose, followed by digressions into his own musings. And then you need to be somewhat familiar with European history and cultural icons.

Leverkuehn sells his soul to the Devil for the ability to compose the world's most perfect musical work. Here is the meeting of Apollo and Dionysus; the music is modeled on Schoenberg's astringent 12 tone scale of systematic composition based on his constructed rules of music; the Devil seeks Chaos and destruction of God's creation and Man's immortal soul. Leverkuehn gets his wish from the Devil; he creates his immortal music, but he loses the most human of abilities; that to love and be loved. As he tries to escape the deal he made, he is struck down and the objects of his love are similarly destroyed. The devices Mann employs --a stroke following a bout of venereal disease, are realistic and are incredibly clever; these things COULD happen to a man in real life, though we are reading a fable about selling one's soul to a Devil made into an actual character. One of Mann's very early short stories (The Wardrobe) employs this same duality in storytelling; a sick man takes a train ride. Does he arrive at his destination, does he stop at a hotel where he meets a mysterious woman in his wardrobe, or does he die in transit? What is reality and what is fable here?

On its own merits, "Dr. Faustus" is not Mann's best book but it is perhaps his most personal. The author is telling a story to the willing reader as if he were almost reading it aloud, and taking asides to discourse on his deepest feelings as an exile from his homeland. If you are a Thomas Mann fan, it's worth reading after "Magic Mountain" prepares you for Mann's characteristic style and themes.

A theme of good and evil,a tale about a genius who has trouble dealing with himself, a story of love of music and a life of suffering, that glues one to the pages. Incredible.

In this reenactment of the ancient Western myth of Faustus, Thomas Mann tells us the story of German composer Adrian Leverkuhn, a man obsessed with themes of mathematics, theology and music. Leverkuhn is intent on composing the greatest and most original work of music ever thought of, and so, in a tiny village in Italy, expresses his disposition to sell his soul to the devil in order to achieve that. He gets what he wants, and for a number of years he works at another village, in Germany, until he achieves his dream, at a cost so terrible that in the end you will feel the creeps about it.

Intertwined wiht this story, written during WWII, are reflections of another selling of the soul to the devil, this time not by an ambitious individual but by a tormented people, the Germans, humiliated after WWI and in the midst of utter decadence, economic, political and moral. The devil is personified by a man called Adolf Hitler, who promises the Germans a thousand years of power and richness, if only they will support him in destroying the Western civilization, the Jews and international peace. And price the pay they do, but somehow you can not trust the devil and in the end, after the most gruesome conflagration in history, destruction is all the Germans get.

This is not an easy read. It takes concentration and a willingness to digest deep reflections on the subjects mentioned above, like the relationships between mathematics and music, sexuality and theology, and the reflex of the ancient myth on the lives of Leverkuhn (the prostitution of art) and Nazi Germany (the prostitution of hope). However, it is an exceptional work of art and of modern thought, so it is very rewarding.

The German obsession with the legend of Faust is updated richly and memorably in what may well be Thomas Mann's greatest achievement. This is a novel about the exploration of ideas--about the underpinnings of art, music and literature. It is a novel about why art and humanity are inextricably intertwined. And it is a novel about how the death of humanity in art is mirrored in the social death of humanity.

This book is my fantasy of university comes to life. When I was young, I imagined that getting a college degree entailed exploring the meaning behind intelligence, art, philosophy and morality. What I got was a bunch of slackers trying to coast through classes just to have something to put on a resume. Doctor Faustus helps fulfill the dream a younger me had. Rich in subtext and detail, many may find it tough slogging at first. Persevere and you will be richly rewarded.

If I had a major criticism with this book, it would be that some chapters seem more like essays than chapters of a work of fiction. I don't care. The ideas are brilliantly explored and presented for your consideration.

Just a note about the review below: My copy of the hardback didn't contain the musical translation errors noted by this previous reviewer. One page, in particular, clearly delineates the differences between the German scheme of musical notation and our more widely known system. Either the reviewer accidentally skipped over this, or the text was corrected somewhere along the line (although I have the first English edition).

Study the mind of a genius and the soul of a mad man. Witness the depths of depression and heights of creation with demonic infection. In Thomas Manns epic rewrite of Goethes Faust we meet a musical genius through the academic eyes of his best friend. A fascinating and disturbing biografy telling the story of Adrian Leverkuhn whose lifespan was shortened by intellectual exhaustion and led towards distanced insanity.

The novel is written during world war II, and the storyteller condemnes the German aggression and nationalsosialism, while he slowly paints a picture of the growth our genius experiences during his development from innocent childhood towards phsycological corruption and breakdown.

A definite read for the "depths of mind"-oriented.

For those of you who have not done so already, I would highly recommend reading Marlowe's "Doctor Faustus" and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's "Faust" before taking this one on. It will make more sense that way and will also provide a remarkable opportunity to see the evolution of a wonderful myth. Now, to attempt to summarize a masterpiece like this in a few words is absurd, but I will do my best. Marlowe's Faust is the most straightforward of the three (not that it is not a great work of literature itself, mind you). Faust is an absolutely brilliant character who is so brilliant, in fact, that he is bored with life. So he makes a deal with Mephistopheles (one of Satan's demons) that he will have 25 years of almost omnipotence, being able to do anything and possessing almost god-like powers. However, when the 25 years are up, his soul will belong to the devil. Goethe's Faust is one of the top 5 or so greatest exemplars of literature ever written. It is, quite simply, astounding. In short, the plot is kinda/sorta the same, only in Goethe there is no time limit in the agreement with Mephistopheles. Rather, at the point when Faust ceases to press on and becomes sedentary, the devil has him. It is the moment in which Faust utters "Stay, moment, stay....thou art so fair" that he will be doomed. I do not want to say anything more about Goethe's Faust so that I can refrain from giving anything away. At any rate, enter Thomas Mann with a 20th century twist on the myth. Adrian Leverkuhn sells his soul to the devil for a new form of music. Satan grants his wish and gives him Schoenberg's 12 tone. (Of course, it is Leverkuhn's 12 tone in the novel). For Mann, this was symbolically a representative of how 20th century man sells his soul to the devil; it is thru the trivialization of art. The 12 tone, although a brilliant conception, is none-the-less something other than music for Mann (and for myself, if I may add). Mirrored to Leverkuhn's fate is the seduction of the German people by Adolf Hitler. Hitler promised them great glories and a feeling of invincibility. For a brief time (like in a Faustian pact) he delivered on his promise. However, in the end, the Germans paid dearly for their hubris. The end of the war brought along with it the destruction of Her Dresden China; Dresden, the very cultural and artistic heart and soul of Germany, was all but destroyed. This book is truly an epic and is not for leisure or light reading. However, it is a must for anyone interested in the Faustian myth, World War II, German history, Thomas Mann or any combination thereof. A tremendous novel.