Written in 1912, Death in Venice is Thomas Mann's best-known novella — a haunting, elegiac masterpiece in which the main character, Gustav Aschenbach, is a successful and much-revered author. While vacationing in Venice, this highly disciplined writer, who always has maintained extraordinary control of his literary creations, finds himself suddenly overwhelmed by an all-consuming love for a beautiful young boy. A deadly epidemic sweeps through the city, but Aschenbach's attraction to the youth compels him to remain, thus sealing his fate.
The second work in this volume, "A Man and His Dog," concerns Bauschan, a friendly mongrel pointer acquired by the Mann family in 1916. A constant companion during the author's morning walks, the loyal creature also deposited himself regularly under Mann's desk while the author worked — a gesture not always appreciated by the writer. More of a genial essay or memoir than a "story," this charming piece, including "one of the most beautiful descriptions of landscape in German literature," is reprinted here with its original preface, which is translated (most likely for the first time) into English.
For both works, Stanley Appelbaum has provided an introduction and informative notes, along with excellent new English translations on the pages facing the original German.