Novel by the
German author
Thomas Mann, published in 1924. German title:
Der Zauberberg. Set in a
Davos/
Switzerland mountain sanatorium in the years before
World War I, it follows
Hans Castorp, a patient from northern
Germany as time passes in the sanatorium - slowly, at first, but then, the days fly by.
Der Zauberberg is enjoyable on many different levels. It explores
ideologies, namely classical
liberalism and
communism,
bourgeois thinking,
religion and
metaphysics. Its language is gorgeous, filled with tongue-in-cheek
irony and subtle
humor.
Despite its close to 1,000 pages, it is an immensely enjoyable book, that is worth re-reading over and over again. It has attained a certain cult following, and many people visit
Davos to see the real sanatorium there.