Death in Venice, a stunning novella and tour de force, it is one of the most hauntingly magnificent tales of erotic doom and self-destruction ever written, and reveals the astounding range, subtlety, artistry, and depth of thought of a true literary master, Thomas Mann. Transfixed and hopelessly attracted to a beautiful Polish boy named Tadzio, Gustav von Aschenbach, a world-famous author, finds himself trapped by his obsession and unable to leave his decaying vacation paradise as so many arou