Buddenbrooks – Thomas Mann

"We are not only ourselves; we are also the sum of what has gone before."

This saga chronicles the decline of a wealthy merchant family in Lübeck over four generations. As the family moves from the sturdy, practical vigor of the grandfather to the artistic sensitivity and physical weakness of the grandson Hanno, their commercial empire crumbles. It is a study of the conflict between art and business, vitality and refinement.

Thomas Mann's debut novel won him the Nobel Prize. It is a rich, detailed portrait of the German bourgeoisie, exploring the biological and spiritual costs of culture. It remains one of the greatest family sagas ever written.