A review by jonathanlibrarian
Doctor Faustus: The Life of the German Composer Adrian Leverkuhn as Told by a Friend by Thomas Mann

2.0

This one hurts to rate, as after having read The Magic Mountain, which was one of the most transcendental reads I ever had, and Buddenbrooks, which was great, I could not make it through Doctor Faustus. 330 pages in and I threw in the towel. For me it was a complete slog. It's frustrating because even after this, if someone tells me this book is a masterpiece, I might even accept it. The book failed for me possibly because of the translation - it was the Lowe Porter translation which I've heard retains the literal meaning more than John Woods one, who opts to preserve the style and flow. The book may also not have worked because of the deep delve into music composition which did not interest me. Lastly, and this is a running belief I've had with other authors, is that every great writer becomes disconnected from their audience in late age. He published Doctor Faustus at 72 years old. Oh, and also Mann relying on the assistance of composer Theodor Adorno to help write the music bits could have hurt the book.