The Magic Mountain

First published in 1924 in German, “The Magic Mountain” is the thoughtful and introspective novel by Nobel Prize laureate Thomas Mann. Widely regarded as one of the most important modern works of the 20th century, Mann’s story follows the aristocratic Hans Castorp as he leaves his comfortable family home to visit his ailing friend in a distant sanatorium located high in the Swiss Alps. Castorp’s stay begins as a brief vacation before he starts his adult life as an engineer in Germany and evolves into several years spent in this isolated institution recovering from a newly discovered illness. Castorp meets a fascinating cast of characters in his mountain retreat, including anarchists, socialists, and royalty, as he attempts to find meaning in his life. In a work acclaimed as both philosophical and deeply profound, Castorp and his fellow patients have little to do but consider their lives and fill their seemingly endless days with reflection and debate while the rest of Europe marches towards a world war. “The Magic Mountain” is a thought-provoking work that grapples with the eternal human concerns of love, money, politics, and the inexorable passage of time. This edition follows the translation of Helen Tracy Lowe-Porter.