The Magic Mountain

By: Thomas Mann

Narrated by: David Rintoul

It was The Magic Mountain (Der Zauberberg) that confirmed Thomas Mann as a Nobel prizewinner for literature and rightly so, for it is undoubtedly one of the great novels of the 20th century.

Its unusual story - it opens with a young man visiting a friend in a tuberculosis sanatorium in the Swiss Alps - was originally started by Mann in 1912 but was not completed until 1924. Then, it was instantly recognised as a masterpiece and led to Mann’s Nobel Prize in 1929.

Hans Castorp is, on the face of it, an ordinary man in his early 20s, on course to start a career in ship engineering in his home town of Hamburg, when he decides to travel to the Berghof Santatorium in Davos. The year is 1912, and an oblivious world is on the brink of war. Castorp’s friend Joachim Ziemssen is taking the cure, and a three-week visit seems a perfect break before work begins. But when Castorp arrives he is surprised to find an established community of patients, some of whom have been there for years, and little by little, he gets drawn into the closeted life and the individual personalities of the residents.

Among them are Hofrat Behrens, the principal doctor, the curiously attractive Clavdia Chauchat and two intellectuals: Ludovico Settembrini and Leo Naphta with their strongly contrasted personalities and differing political, ethical, artistic and spiritual ideals. Hans Castorp’s stay is extended, once, twice and still further, as he appears to develop symptoms which suggest that his health, once so robust, would benefit from the treatments and the mountain air.

As time passes, it becomes clear that the young man, with a particular interest in shipbuilding and not much else, finds his outlook and knowledge broadened by his mountain companions, his intellect stretched and his emotional experience deepened and enriched. Hans Castorp is changing, day by day, month by month, year by year, sometimes imperceptibly, sometimes with a sudden advance, as he encounters the varied range of sparkling characters, their comedies and tragedies, their aspirations and their defeats.

The Magic Mountain is a classic bildungsroman, an educational journey of growth - a genre that began with an earlier novel in the German tradition: Goethe’s Wilhelm Meister’s Apprenticeship. It is presented here in the acclaimed modern translation by John E. Woods and is told by David Rintoul with his particular understanding for Thomas Mann as displayed in his widely praised Ukemi recording of Buddenbrooks.

©1996 Knopf Translation (P)2020 Ukemi Productions Ltd

A fantastic listen

David Rintoul’s rendering of the new translation of this complex, epic and philosophical novel is impeccable. One of the best narrations out there. He embodies the sentiment and meaning of each character with great skill and poise. I’ve read this book three times but listening to this audio felt like the first.

One of the best stories I've ever experienced

A long, drawn out mountain of a story. Hilarious, heartbreaking, boring, and terrifying. I can't think of a story that better encapsulates the ennui of being young and watching the world drift by. I loved it.

The performance was absolutely perfect. The narrator, apologies I don't have his name in front of me, was incredible. His cadence was impeccable, the mannerisms he lent to characters were consistent and appropriate. I'd listen to him read just about anything.

This translation is also excellent. I've tried reading other translations over the years, but have always bounced off of them after about 100 pages. This translation was natural and fluid.

I can't recommend The Magic Mountain highly enough.

A powerful work.

Wow! What a powerful novel! Although I was lost, even smothered, in some of the monologues, at it’s conclusion, I felt a great loss, like something very important had been taken away from me.

Masterpiece

One of the great stories in world literature. A masterpiece of irony. We are all Hans Castorp, the world’s problem child. Three masterful accomplishments: Mann’s story, the translation, and the magnificent reading. To flesh out your understanding of Mann, I recommend Colm Tobin’s wonderful book The Magician, also available on Audible.

I wish I’d read it long ago—and so glad I could finally experience it with the aid of a great narrator.

Yes, it is a long book—but so deep, wide, wise, beautiful and humane that it is worth every minute.