Book Review : Death in Venice

The title gives it all away, doesn’t it – can a title be a spoiler?

The book is based at least in part on Thomas Mann’s own experience in Venice during the 1911 cholera epidemic in the city.

Gustav von Aschenbach is an aging German writer who travels to Venice hoping to find some inspiration but instead develops a deep, silent obsession with a beautiful Polish boy named Tadzio.

I found this book really difficult to read as part of me found it rather disturbing and sinister that a middle-aged / older man would feel this way about a boy he’s never met or spoken to. There’s far too much description and not enough story, there’s introspection but I don’t recall von Aschenbach channelling his ‘passion’ for Tadzio into creativity.