Der Tod in Venedig Author:Thomas Mann When it was published in 1912, Mann?s novella Der Tod in Venedig [Death in Venice] was immediately recognized as a ?perfect marvel? and among the ?best German prose? of its time. It tells the story of the writer Gustav von Aschenbach who travels to Venice, where he falls in love with an adolescent boy before subsequently dying in the cholera-str... more »icken city. Mann?s masterly command of language and play with mythology, his psychological profile of the artistic mind, and the novella?s contrast between cold artistic discipline and the power of love has generated great admiration. Today Mann?s Death in Venice is recognized as one of the masterpieces of twentieth-century literature.« less