Audiobooks by Thomas Mann

Thomas Mann: Buddenbrooks, Death in Venice, The Magic Mountain: Three BBC Radio full-cast dramas

"Dramatisations of Thomas Mann’s three bestselling novels One of Germany’s greatest and most revered writers, Thomas Mann won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1929. A vocal critic of Nazism, he had to leave his homeland when Hitler came to power, and lived in exile in Europe and America for the rest of his life. Collected here are full-cast adaptations of his three most famous novels. Buddenbrooks – Drawing on Mann’s own experience as the son of a wealthy merchant in 19th-century Lübeck, his debut novel follows four generations of Buddenbrooks as they struggle to maintain the family business in the face of change. Powerful, humorous and heartbreaking, this epic drama traces the decline of a civilisation as well as a family. Starring Terence Edmonds, Harriet Walter, James Laurenson and Timothy Spall. Death in Venice – Seeking inspiration, a famous German writer travels to Venice, but finds only decay and disease behind the city’s gorgeous facades. Then he notices a beautiful young Polish boy, and is consumed by a fatal obsession... Clive Francis stars as Aschenbach, with Peter England as Tadzio. The Magic Mountain – When Hans Castorp pays a social visit to a Swiss sanatorium, he is himself diagnosed with TB and ends up staying for seven years. Trapped on the mountain, he becomes acquainted with his fellow inmates – including the humanist, the radical, the dionysiac and the inamorata – who represent a microcosm of European society and culture in the run-up to World War One. Paul Scofield stars in this radio version of Thomas Mann’s masterpiece. First published 1901 (Buddenbrooks), 1912 (Death in Venice), 1924 (The Magic Mountain) © 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd"

Thomas Mann (Author), Clive Francis, Full Cast, Harriet Walter, James Laurenson, Paul Scofield, Peter England, Terence Edmonds, Timothy Spall (Narrator)

Audiobook

Joseph and His Brothers: Book 2: Young Joseph

"Published over a ten-year period between the years 1933 and 1943 while the writer was in exile, Thomas Mann’s Joseph and his Brothers is an epic four-part novel that works as a retelling of chapters twenty-one to thirty of the Book of Genesis. Described as a “Mythological novel”, It took Mann over sixteen years to write the novel and was considered by the writer as his greatest ever literary achievement. in this second volume subtitled ‘Young Joseph’, Mann shifts his focus to Joseph’s formative years, moving towards the novel’s ultimate conclusion where he is imprisoned by his brothers and sold into slavery. Deploying Mann’s signature capacity for incredible, often mesmerising detail, Joseph and His Brothers brings to life a world of mythology and legend, set within the ancient kingdoms of Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Palestine. The result is an impressive, awe-inspiring work of psychological depth – one that is replete with historical detail, ironic humour, and breathtaking grandeur. This recording is based on John E. Woods definitive English translation, providing an authoritative retelling that is worthy of Mann’s landmark work."

Thomas Mann (Author), Mark Elstob (Narrator)

Audiobook

[German] - Mario und der Zauberer - Ein tragisches Reiseerlebnis (Ungekürzte Lesung)

"Eigentlich sollte es ein angenehmer Familienurlaub im italienischen Touristenort Torre di Venere werden. Stattdessen aber wird die Atmosphäre gleich zu Beginn durch die offenkundige Unfreundlichkeit der Italiener gegenüber den ausländischen Urlaubern getrübt. 'Geradeso merkwürdig und spannend, geradeso unbehaglich, kränkend und bedrückend' wie der gesamte Urlaub gestaltet sich auch der groß angekündigte Auftritt des Zauberkünstlers Cipolla, und indem dieser den Kellner Mario zu sich auf die Bühne ruft, nimmt die Novelle schließlich die schon im Untertitel angekündigte 'tragische' Wende ... In der 1930 erschienenen Novelle hat Thomas Mann nicht nur Erfahrungen seines eigenen Italienaufenthaltes verarbeitet; sie ist außerdem in Zusammenhang mit seiner 'Deutschen Ansprache' desselben Jahres zu sehen, in der er an die Vernunft der deutschen Bevölkerung zur Zeit des aufstrebenden Nationalsozialismus appellierte."

Thomas Mann (Author), Peter Matić (Narrator)

Audiobook

[German] - Der Tod in Venedig (Ungekürzte Lesung)

"Thomas Mann selbst bezeichnete Der Tod in Venedig als eine 'Novelle gewagten, wenn nicht unmöglichen Gegenstandes', vom plötzlichen 'Einbruch der Leidenschaft' in das Leben eines Menschen. Der nicht mehr junge Schriftsteller Gustav Aschenbach entdeckt am Lido des schwülwarmen Venedig die Gestalt des apollinisch schönen Knaben Tadzio und strebt in seinen Gedanken zu ihm, steigert sich in eine unerfüllbare Liebe und verspielt damit, nach einem Wort von Heinrich Mann, 'was ihm das wünschenswerteste schien'. Die Faszination, die von dem Knaben ausgeht, lässt Aschenbach seine Umgebung, sein bisheriges Leben vergessen, und er erkennt die herannahende Gefahr nicht - oder will sie nicht erkennen."

Thomas Mann (Author), Gerd Wameling (Narrator)

Audiobook

Joseph and His Brothers: Book 1: The Tales of Jacob

"Published over a ten-year period between 1933 and 1943, Thomas Mann’s Joseph and his Brothers is an epic four-part novel that works as a retelling of chapters twenty-one to thirty of the Book of Genesis. Described as a “Mythological novel”, It took Mann over sixteen years to write the novel and was considered by the writer as his greatest ever literary achievement. in this first volume subtitled ‘The Stories of Jacob’, Mann begins with a meditative prelude named “Descent into Hell”, which contextualises the story against a variety of historical, mythological, and historical contexts, before moving on to the story of Joseph’s father Jacob. The following chapters follow Jacob as we learn of him stealing his brother’s birthright, before fleeing to his uncle Laban and his later marriages to Rachel and Leah. Deploying Mann’s signature capacity for incredible, often mesmerising detail, Joseph and His Brothers brings to life a world of mythology and legend, set within the ancient kingdoms of Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Palestine. The result is an immersive, awe-inspiring work of psychological depth – one that is replete with historical detail, ironic humour, and breathtaking grandeur. This recording is based on John E. Woods definitive English translation, providing an authoritative retelling that is worthy of Mann’s landmark work."

Thomas Mann (Author), Mark Elstob (Narrator)

Audiobook

[German] - Buddenbrooks. Verfall einer Familie (Ungekürzt)

"In seinem ersten Roman 'Buddenbrooks' erzählt Thomas Mann nur wenig verschlüsselt die Geschichte seiner Familie und ihrer Stellung in der Vaterstadt Lübeck, soweit er sie nachvollziehen, in Einzelheiten überblicken konnte, ja sogar noch miterlebt hat. Verwandte, Honoratioren und markante Persönlichkeiten seiner Jugend werden integriert. Es ist die Geschichte des langsamen Niedergangs einer reichen Kaufmannsfamilie über vier Generationen hinweg. Gert Westphal liest diesen epochalen Roman in ganzer Länge."

Thomas Mann (Author), Gert Westphal (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Magic Mountain 1 & 2 Buddenbrooks Royal Highness

"The Magic Mountain is a classic novel set in a Swiss sanatorium during the years leading up to World War I. The story follows Hans Castorp, a young engineer, who arrives for a short visit to his ailing cousin but ends up staying for seven years. The novel explores themes of time, illness, and the clash of ideas, with the sanatorium serving as a microcosm of European society on the brink of war. Mann uses the setting to delve into philosophical debates between characters, blending irony, humor, and profound insights into the human condition. Buddenbrooks is a sweeping family saga that chronicles the rise and fall of the Buddenbrook family, a prosperous German merchant dynasty, over four generations. Set in the 19th century, the novel explores the decline of traditional values in the face of modernity, as the family grapples with changing social and economic landscapes. Each generation faces challenges that erode their wealth, status, and cohesion. Royal Highness is a satirical novel that follows the life of Prince Klaus Heinrich, a minor German royal in a fictional, declining principality. The story begins with Klaus Heinrich living a sheltered, ceremonial life bound by rigid traditions. His existence is transformed when he meets Imma Spoelmann, a wealthy American heiress whose independent spirit challenges the old-world conventions surrounding him. Through their relationship, Mann explores themes of social change, the clash between old aristocratic values and modern capitalism, and the possibility of personal transformation. The novel combines humor with a deeper critique of European society in the early 20th century."

Thomas Mann (Author), Geoffrey Giuliano, The Scythe (Narrator)

Audiobook

[German] - Der Zauberberg (Ungekürzte Lesung)

"Der Zauberberg erstmals als ungekürztes Hörbuch, virtuos gelesen von Thomas Sarbacher Geplant als Novelle, als heiteres Gegenstück zum Tod in Venedig, entstand mit dem Zauberberg einer der großen Romane der klassischen Moderne. Ein kurzer Besuch in einem Davoser Sanatorium wird für den Protagonisten Hans Castorp zu einem siebenjährigen Aufenthalt, der Kurort wird zur Bühne für die europäische Befindlichkeit vor dem Ersten Weltkrieg. Im Juli 1913 begonnen, während des Krieges durch essayistische Arbeiten, vor allem durch die Betrachtungen eines Unpolitischen, unterbrochen, konnte der Roman 1924 abgeschlossen und veröffentlicht werden. Textgrundlage des Hörbuchs ist die neu durchgesehene Erstausgabe von 1924."

Thomas Mann (Author), Thomas Sarbacher (Narrator)

Audiobook

Confessions of Felix Krull, Confidence Man

"Discover Thomas Mann's comic novel of deception and misplaced confidence. Waiter by day, man about Paris by night; the young and good looking Felix Krull has created for himself a personality to charm and deceive the world of wealth. When the Marquis de Venosta makes him a proposal that he can't refuse, the young Felix finds himself on the pathway that will elevate him into the world of riches. 'The most astonishing work that Mann ever wrote and also one of the most perfect' -Edwin Muir"

Thomas Mann (Author), Mark Elstob (Narrator)

Audiobook

Death in Venice

Thomas Mann (Author), Edoardo Ballerini (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Magic Mountain

"A book that pulses with life in the midst of death, The Magic Mountain is a mammoth masterpiece of erudition and irony, sexual tension, and intellectual ferment. Mann utilises a sanatorium in the Swiss Alps, a community dedicated solely to illness, as a microcosm for Europe, which in the years prior to 1914 was already displaying the initial signs of its own terminal madness, in this dizzyingly dense novel of ideas. Death in Venice tells the tale of Gustav von Aschenbach, a successful but ageing writer who follows his wanderlust to Venice in search of spiritual fulfilment but instead leads to his erotic doom. It was published on the eve of World War I, ten years after Buddenbrooks had established Thomas Mann as a literary celebrity. Foreword - Track 1 Chapter 1. Arrival - Track 2 Chapter 2. Of the Christening Basin -Track 3 Chapter 3. Drawing the Veil - Track 4 to 6 Chapter 4. Necessary Purchases - Track 7 to 11 Chapter 5. Soup-Everlasting Part 1 - Track 12 to 16./ Soup-Everlasting Part 2 - Track 17 to 21. Chapter 6. Changes Part 1 - Track 22 to 25. / Changes Part 2 - Track 26 to 29. / Changes Part 3 - Track 30 to 32. Chapter 7. By the Ocean of Time Part 1 - Track 33 to 37. / By the Ocean of Time Part 2 - Track 38 ./ By the Ocean of Time Part 3 - Track 39 to 43."

Thomas Mann (Author), Wilfred Morgan (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Magic Mountain 1 & 2 Buddenbrooks Royal Highness Death In Venice

"The Magic Mountain is a classic novel set in a Swiss sanatorium during the years leading up to World War I. The story follows Hans Castorp, a young engineer, who arrives for a short visit to his ailing cousin but ends up staying for seven years. The novel explores themes of time, illness, and the clash of ideas, with the sanatorium serving as a microcosm of European society on the brink of war. Mann uses the setting to delve into philosophical debates between characters, blending irony, humor, and profound insights into the human condition. Buddenbrooks is a sweeping family saga that chronicles the rise and fall of the Buddenbrook family, a prosperous German merchant dynasty, over four generations. Set in the 19th century, the novel explores the decline of traditional values in the face of modernity, as the family grapples with changing social and economic landscapes. Each generation faces challenges that erode their wealth, status, and cohesion. Royal Highness is a satirical novel that follows the life of Prince Klaus Heinrich, a minor German royal in a fictional, declining principality. The story begins with Klaus Heinrich living a sheltered, ceremonial life bound by rigid traditions. His existence is transformed when he meets Imma Spoelmann, a wealthy American heiress whose independent spirit challenges the old-world conventions surrounding him. Death in Venice is a novella that explores the tragic obsession of Gustav von Aschenbach, a renowned, aging writer. During a vacation in Venice, Aschenbach becomes infatuated with a beautiful young boy named Tadzio. His admiration turns into an all-consuming obsession, leading him to neglect his health and moral principles. As the city falls under the grip of a cholera epidemic, Aschenbach's descent mirrors the decay around him, symbolizing the conflict between the pursuit of beauty and the inevitability of death."

Thomas Mann (Author), Geoffrey Giuliano, The Scythe (Narrator)

Audiobook