The Magician

A Novel

By: Colm Toibin

Narrated by: Gunnar Cauthery

A New York Times Notable Book, Critic’s Top Pick, and Top Ten Book of Historical Fiction

Named a Best Book of the Year by The Washington Post, NPR, Vogue, The Wall Street Journal, and Bloomberg Businessweek

​From one of today’s most brilliant and beloved novelists, a dazzling, epic family saga set across a half-century spanning World War I, the rise of Hitler, World War II, and the Cold War that is “a feat of literary sorcery in its own right” (Oprah Daily).

The Magician opens in a provincial German city at the turn of the twentieth century, where the boy, Thomas Mann, grows up with a conservative father, bound by propriety, and a Brazilian mother, alluring and unpredictable. Young Mann hides his artistic aspirations from his father and his homosexual desires from everyone. He is infatuated with one of the richest, most cultured Jewish families in Munich, and marries the daughter Katia. They have six children. On a holiday in Italy, he longs for a boy he sees on a beach and writes the story Death in Venice. He is the most successful novelist of his time, winner of the Nobel Prize in literature, a public man whose private life remains secret. He is expected to lead the condemnation of Hitler, whom he underestimates. His oldest daughter and son, leaders of Bohemianism and of the anti-Nazi movement, share lovers. He flees Germany for Switzerland, France and, ultimately, America, living first in Princeton and then in Los Angeles.

In this “exquisitely sensitive” (The Wall Street Journal) novel, Tóibín has crafted “a complex but empathetic portrayal of a writer in a lifelong battle against his innermost desires, his family, and the tumultuous times they endure” (Time), and “you’ll find yourself savoring every page” (Vogue).

Critic reviews

"Cauthery's crisp, warm voice carries listeners easily through the narrative, and his thoughtful characterizations populate the conversations with individuals, adding to the pleasures of Tóibín's writing."

Wonderful book very well read

I enjoyed this very well narrated book about Thomas Mann and his writing so much. I read both Buddenbooks and the Magic Mountain so many years ago and this really motivates me to go back and read them again. I have often wondered seres about the life of Thomas Mann and this really gave me a path to imagine the man. An excellent book and very well narrated.

An honest account of Thomas Mann

It was a deep dive into the personal life of Thomas Mann and his six unusual children.

Stunning

Absolutely gorgeous prose. Interesting plot. Compelling characters. Really terrific book set in a difficult time.

What it is to Write

Of course I loved it - a book about one of my favorite writers written by another of my favorite writers.

I'd Heard of Thomas Mann but Not What He Did

This was surprisingly good. It was a very interesting life. I haven't read any of his books yet but I found this biographical historic fiction to be engrossing.