Published by Scribner on September 7, 2021

The line between fiction and nonfiction becomes fuzzy when writers make characters out of real people. In some novels, such as Thomas Mann’s Doctor Faustus, the character is modeled upon, but does not purport to tell the life of, a real person. Mann based his novel on the composer Arnold Schoenberg but gave the character a different name and attributed his musical creativity to a pact with the devil.

Colm Tóibín writes about Doctor Faustus and Schoenberg’s reaction to that novel in The Magician, Tóibín’s own blend of fiction and biographical fact. Tóibín does not disguise his subject; the story’s protagonist is Thomas Mann and the story hews closely to the details of Mann’s life.

Writers who essentially write a biography in the form of a novel run a couple of risks. First, they are constrained by historical fact, which limits the ability to let imagination take flight, as Mann did when he turned Schoenberg into someone other than Schoenberg. Second, if they choose a subject who is not particularly interesting, the novel is likely to be dull. R.J. Gadney stumbled across the first of those barriers to compelling fiction in Albert Einstein Speaking, turning Einstein’s life into a dry checklist of events without ever bringing Einstein to life. Mann is a literary icon but not an exciting one, creating the risk that a book about his life might be dull. Fortunately, Tóibín recognized and overcame that risk.

Given Mann’s reserved and scholarly nature, it would be difficult to make Mann’s the story of Mann's life lively. Tóibín defeated that problem by surrounding Mann with colorful people (including Mann’s children and their varied marital or sex partners), by giving the reader occasional glimpses of Mann’s attraction to young males, and by focusing on the political issues that played an unwelcome role in Mann’s life. Much of the story’s intrigue derives from Mann’s internal struggle with his early embrace of German nationalism and his later recognition that the nationalism embraced by the Nazi party was antithetical to his belief in freedom, democracy, and humanity. Tóibín suggests that Mann was often caught in the middle, between those (including his children) who criticized him for being insufficiently anti-fascist, and those (including the FBI) who regarded Mann and his children as dangerously liberal in their advocacy of anti-fascism. Mann did eventually speak out against Hitler and did so passionately, but for the most part he just wanted to be left alone so he can read and write.

Tóibín portrays Mann as a person whose nature, shaped by German culture, is circumspect and a bit ponderous, a man who has playful moments but prefers the solitude that allows him to think deeply about the human condition and to reveal his thoughts in novels rather than conversation. Although we learn the background to Buddenbrooks, The Magic Mountain, and Doctor Faustus, Tóibín spends little time on the content of Mann’s works, focusing instead on the act of creation, the moments of inspiration, the mulling of artistic choices, and the hours spent committing words to paper.

Mann’s confidence in his art contrasts with (as Tóibín sees it) his insecurity as a public figure. Mann transformed his political thinking after the First World War, viewing German’s defeat as a lesson that the nation needed to internalize. He feared the direction Germany was taking as its population embraced Hitler, and then feared for himself and his family as he moved to other European countries and eventually to America. Yet at what point and to what degree he should speak out against Hitler was a question that troubled him, although not as much as it troubled his brother and children. Mann is Germany’s most celebrated writer during Hitler’s rise, just as Einstein (who makes a brief appearance in the story) is Germany’s most celebrated scientist. Both are men who could speak with intellectual and moral authority. Some in America advised Mann not to advocate for America’s participation in the war, lest he jeopardize his relationship with Roosevelt, while most of his family demanded that he make his opinions known. Tóibín’s depiction of Mann’s internal struggle is one of the novel’s highlights, as are the political machinations of the State Department and FBI in their fevered belief that intellectual freedom and nontraditional sexuality must be suppressed in the name of restraining communism and preserving crabbed American notions of morality. American hospitality turns out to be a fickle thing and Mann winds up in Switzerland after the war is over.

As envisioned by Tóibín, Mann is never quite happy with the person he has become. He “wished he were a different sort of writer, less concerned with the details of the world and more with larger, more eternal questions.” He isn’t certain whether his novels evoked emotion in same way that musical compositions express yearning. His own yearnings were confined to diaries (presumably a primary source that informed Tóibín’s understanding of Mann). For a time, Mann feared that his private writings would fall into the hands of Nazis who would use them to destroy his career. His emotions are so intensely private that they are only expressed in novels. Even his warm regard for his children is never spoken. By the novel’s end, when he decides it would be too painful to attend the funeral of his oldest son, he learns from a letter that the feelings of adulation expressed by the general public are not shared by his surviving children.

Tóibín is a meticulous researcher. I can only assume The Magician is grounded in fact, even if some of those facts are revealed in imagined conversations. Whether or not Tóibín’s interpretation of Mann is accurate, his skill at crafting characters in depth is fully displayed. The bottled-up Mann, who often responds to conflict with silence or a conspiratorial glance at his wife, is presented in credible detail as someone who can’t reconcile his emotional conflicts, who can only give full expression to his feelings by attributing them to characters in his novels. Mann is reticent but comfortable discussing matters of intellect; he is hopeless at discussing matters of the heart or loins. He is capable of revising his opinions — in some ways, he becomes a new person before the war, just as his post-war homeland becomes a new country — but he cannot change his deeply ingrained inability to express himself emotionally. He understands and regrets this flaw, but he seems incapable of addressing it. Instead of trying, he buries himself in his writing, the only task that gives him comfort.

I’ve always preferred the flights of imagination that inspire pure fiction, as opposed to the “based on a true story/actual person” brand of fiction. Writers who want to enhance a biography with fiction are constrained by the factual frame that contains their subject. Tóibín has written some true masterpieces of fiction. The Magician and The Master (a similar novel about Henry James) could be regarded as masterpieces of the subgenre of biographical fiction (or whatever it might be called). For my taste, The Magician doesn’t have the wow factor of Let the Great World Spin, but it is an impressive achievement.

RECOMMENDED

When I stop at 97% for the evening because I can’t bear the thought of a book being over, it is clearly a slam dunk. Colm Toibin’s skill just undoes me over and over again. On the surface, The Magician is much like The Master, a biographical novel of a classic author. However, due to the history that Thomas Mann lived, The Magician achieves a deeper, richer effect. Mann’s large family also allows Toibin to display his own formidable magic in the exploration of relationships and the psycho-emotional traversing of them.

Nobody is more qualified than Tobin to get into the hearts and minds of an artistic Germany surrounding the world wars. His writing is nothing short of luscious, and each of his offerings enriches the contemporary canon.

Have been a fan of Toibin and found his previous works engrossing and stimulating. Unfortunately, the subject matter of this work did not interest me. Therefore, I was prejudiced against it. In hindsight I should have passed on it.

A vivid, imaginative rendering of the inner life of one of the 20th-century's greatest
writers — Thomas Mann.
Thomas Mann — the subject of this biographical novel by Colm Tóibín — is regarded as a
major 20th-century German writer, perhaps one of the best known of the so-called
"Exilliteratur" writers — Germans in exile who opposed the Hitler regime. Author of works
such as Buddenbrooks (1901), Death in Venice (1912) and The Magic Mountain (1924), Mann
was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1929.
Against a historical backdrop which includes World War I, the rise of Hitler and Nazism,
World War II, the Cold War and McCarthyism in the United States, Tóibín's novel examines
the life of Thomas Mann from age 16 in 1891 to just before his death at age 80 in 1955.
Although Mann lived through what can only be described as an eventful period in world
history, the novel focuses on his personal and family life, his emotions and thoughts, and his art.
At 16, Mann was already writing poetry and developing a deep appreciation of music. Music
and literature continued to be the essential threads in the fabric of his life; but, like a darker
thread which is only suggested in the novel, there is his repressed homosexuality, which in later
years found an outlet in his writing.
In 1897, Mann began to write Buddenbrooks – his first and perhaps his most loved novel. In
describing the genesis of this work, Tóibín brilliantly sets out Mann's creative process,
explaining how, as with all his novels, Mann drew deeply on the experiences of his own family.
Consequently, Mann was criticized for writing a roman á clef – a novel which overlays
historical fact with a façade of fiction. This is of course not unlike The Magician, where
biographically and historically accurate events in Mann's life are given an added depth and
breadth by the author's imagining of Mann's emotions and thoughts as the events unfold.
In 1933, while vacationing in France, Mann was told by his adult children in Munich that it
would not be safe for him to return to Germany. Consequently, the family moved to Zürich. In
1939, as the Nazi stranglehold on Europe tightened, the Manns emigrated to the United States,
living first in New Jersey where Mann taught at Princeton University, and then in Los Angeles.
Tóibín demonstrates how Mann and Katia became prominent figures in the German expatriate
community, with Mann recording speeches that were broadcast in Germany by the BBC. The
essential theme of the speeches was the significant cultural difference between the German
people and National Socialism.
The title of the book originates from an episode in which Mann's son Klaus was frightened by
what he believed to be a monster in his room. Mann told Klaus he was a magician and would
use his magic to send the monster away. The stratagem was successful and, from then on, his
children called him the magician. But in Tóibín's novel, the word takes on a greater significance
— Mann is a person who can wield magic with words, whether in his books, his letters or his
speeches.
Tóibín has created magic in this book. In beautiful prose, he has brought Thomas Mann to life
and given the reader an intimate look at a great author who lived with contradictions — his
acclaim as one of the great 20th-century writers set against his hesitant and secretive inner life;
his successful marriage to Katia and their six children set against his repressed homosexuality;
and his love for Germany and its culture set against the Nazi ideology he detested.
In most of his novels, Tóibín explores the themes of living abroad, the creative process and the
preservation of personal identity (and particularly of homosexual identity). In The Magician,
these themes find expression in the struggles Thomas Mann experienced with each. It's a
poignant portrayal and a pleasure to read.
Reviewed by Rod McLary

The astonishing moments in this treasure of a story is the unrequited love in a time where the mere thoughts we are privy to could condemn a man to imprisonment or death in most of his known world. A restlessness invades and holds these stories . Thomas Mann is a marvel of a character, complex compelling married to a woman deeper than the surface she presents. They compliment each other in frustrated desire and realize that to endure they must unite to protect each other’s interests. It is an intense story that travels generations and grips you in profound ways. It is unlike most stories that begin at the turn of the twentieth century in that you are invested from the first in the man and how he will tightrope his way through this time . You cannot stop until the last chapter, you will sigh at its conclusion.

I work in a high school, so this novel isn't necessarily for their age group. However, I got an ARC to see if maybe it would work as a historical fiction example. It does that, for sure, but I'm not sure the interest levels for students with such a long novel. However, Toibin's writing is always on point and this is such an interesting look into Thomas Mann. Recommended read, though maybe not for high schoolers.

I didn’t know anything about Thomas Mann’s life, and I hadn’t realized that “Buddenbrooks” was, at least in part, autobiographical. This book is a fictional account of Mann’s life from his childhood to his death. He married, had six children, became a successful author and unsuccessfully hid his attraction to beautiful young men (including members of his family if this book is to be believed).

This book was slow and long, but it did hold my interest, however it wasn’t nearly as good as “Buddenbrooks”. I think that if I want to know more about Mann (which I don’t particularly want to do) I will read a nonfiction account. 3.5 stars

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

I am not joking when I say this author could make a telephone book interesting! This was a story of a man I had never heard of and it enthralled me!

Such a well written Historical Novel.. Colin Toibin, does such a wonderful job, writing about Thomas Mann.. Thomas Mann was a German author who was born in the late 1870’s.. he was born into a wealthy family. An eccentric mother and a serious father.. in Lubeck Germany.. he becomes a writer who writes novels, short stories and even wins a Noble Prize. He becomes a well loved author , who criticizes the path Germany takes in the early 1900’s until the end of WWII. He is a flawed man, his children are wild and spoiled and his wife is his rock.. His family has many ups and downs.. They move from Europe to the US. I didn’t know much about Thomas Mann.. but Toibin.. is such a great story teller. He was able to break down the authors life and his family and his writings in a unique way.. It was so good, you would think it was non fiction. I really enjoyed this story.. I always love learning something new and I am a huge fan of historical Fiction..

If you are a fan of Thomas Mann’s writing, you’ll enjoy this fictionalized account of Mann’s life. Earlier, Tóibín used his power of writing to tell the story of Henry James. Like James, Mann never admitted his homosexuality. The book is a portrait of a family man. To say this is an ambitious book is no understatement. It’s lengthy, but enlightening. It’s a book in which little happens. Mann writes a lot, he goes for lots of walks with his wife and he writes, and he writes. In return for safe passage to America during World War II, Mann must be silent about America’s entry into the war. Up until this time he has been vocal in calling for the United States to join the war. Finally tired of politics, Mann moves to California.

This is the book I never knew I wanted to read. Colm Tóibín tells the sweeping story of author Thomas Mann. This was an author I have never even heard of, but and low and behold he was a Nobel Prize winner in literature. This is a long book, but the story is so rich and flowing and I was sad when it ended.

Thomas Mann was born to a prominent German family. As a child he wanted to be a poet and writer, but his father wanted him to be in business. When his father dies, and leaves the family in a predicament he uses this as an opportunity to live the life he dreams of.

This story starts Pre WWII and goes until his death. He is a complex man. He constantly struggles with his sexuality, but marries a wonderful woman and has 6 kids. They escape from Germany and end up in the US with the likes of Einstein.

At times this did feel more biographical than fiction, but it only helped in telling Mann’s story. He is absolutely one of the most interesting people I have read about, I actually ordered a couple of his books to read in the near future.

Again, this is a long one, but well worth the time. I will be thinking about this one for a long time.

Thank you NetGalley and Scribner for an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

Reading this book was somewhat of a strange experience. I did not know until I got to the acknowledgements that Thomas Mann was, in fact, an actual (and incredibly famous) literary figure. Up until that point, I had certain qualms about the book. Comparing the actual text to the effusive language of the blurb, I didn't feel that the book really delved as deeply into the characters or make that much of a connection between the protagonist and history considering that he is primarily characterized by his detachment. Knowing that this was a sort of fictionalized biography made those problems graver in my opinion, but also made me appreciate the book more in terms of how it handled the epic story of Mann's life.

I can definitely say that I liked it, but I still stand by my assertion that the book blurb makes the book a lot more exciting that it really is. However, I acknowledge that I would have probably enjoyed this book more if I had had more of a background on Thomas Mann as a writer and as a person. If you are a fan of his works, I think that you will enjoy it. If you are coming at from a history standpoint, you might be a bit disappointed.

Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review!

I was attracted to this book because I know the author wrote "Brooklyn" (I saw the film) and I am familiar with Thomas Mann through the film "Death in Venice." I also know a little about Thomas and his brother's life through a recent book about Salka Viertel "The Sun and the Stars" about exiles in Hollywood. Tolbin does a great job pulling together all the themes and threads of Mann's life in a fictionalized story. He aptly weaves in vignettes to show how they may have influenced Mann's novels. The book is presented in chronological order which made it easy to read and follow. I appreciated the detail throughout the book and could really see in my mind's eye the characters and settings throughout history. This book has made me want to read Thomas Mann's work as well as read Tolbin's early book on Henry James.

I highly recommend this book.

The premise of this book and the time it spanned sounded interesting, but this book is not. It is a slog to read. I'm finally giving up half way thru this book. The critics might love it but the average reader (me) will not.
Thank you for the chance to read it and judge for myself- I hope it finds it's target audience.

I love all of his books and this one did not disappoint. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about pre-war Europe as well as seeing into the mind of such a prolific writer g

An epic journey..."The Magician" by Colm Tóibín is a fictional portrayal of German author Thomas Mann covering a history from pre-war Germany in the 1890's through post-cold war America. It is a fascinating insight into Mann and his colorful family. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I picked this book because I read and very much liked Toibin’s “Brooklyn”. In the way Paula McClain has novelized the lives of Beryl Markham and Hadley Hemingway, Toibin writes the life of the author Thomas Mann. How he grew up in Germany to a strict German father and Brazilian mother and hides his homosexuality by marrying into one of the most respected Jewish families in Munich. He wins the Nobel Prize, but as the Nazis rise to power, his books are burned and he flees to Switzerland and then America. He fails to chastise the Nazis fearing further reprisals from publishers and American readers who want no part of another of Europe’s wars, though his children and his novelist brother have no problem doing so.
While Thomas Mann’s personal story is interesting, I found Toibin’s dialogue to be very stilted – almost like it was being translated from another language. And I unfortunately have not been motivated to read any of Mann’s writings, nor, probably, any more of Toibin’s.

With The Magician, Tóibín was attempting to replicate or revisit his middling-level achievement of 2004's The Master, which was a novelized treatment of several years in the life of Henry James. The Magician is a disappointing failure as both a novelized biography and a biographical novel of the entire literary life and historical times of Thomas Mann, another great novelist who repressed his homosexuality and never openly revealed his attraction to, and feelings about, men.

The intellectual, aesthetic, and political concerns of the author of Death in Venice and The Magic Mountain are barely discernible here, and the psychological conflicts are weightless. Tóibín gives his reader little access into Mann's interior life beneath the bürgerlich facade, and draws only obvious connections between the life and the work.

Nearly every page of the narrative is weighed down with undigested chunks of biographical information and historical background that indicate that Tóibín did his research. But he hasn't succeeded in animating them into a narrative that felt real, or lived-in, or even remotely interesting. The dialogue is wooden, the descriptions are bland, and the prose is just dull. None of the historical locations-- Lübeck, Munich, Davos, Vichy-era Provence, Santa Monica-- are more than two-dimensional stage-sets. Tóibín makes the downward pull of German politics feel completely inevitable and rather than how it might have actually felt to actual historical actors: terrifying, uncertain, confusing, and contingent.

Nearly every other character (Mann's wife, siblings, children, friends) is shallowly rendered and barely revealed, so that the excitement and ferment of Mann's life just lies there, dead on the page. One soap-opera-ish event happens after another, making zero emotional splash, and producing zero dramatic interest. Major characters commit suicide and are just forgotten about, because Tóibín has a huge amount of biographical ground to cover. I lost track of how many times I stumbled over the phrase "[Mann's child/sibling/friend] was X [years] old." After 500 pages, this became tedious and repetitive.

Thanks to Netgalley and Scribner for providing a free ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

I was swept away by this book from the beginning. The writing is lyrical and lovely. The topic is historically fascinating and yet so very relevant to modern times. Telling the story of writer Thomas Mann, this book takes us on a journey of the life of a man who is an amazing creator, but never really able to be himself. This was a new topic for me, as I didn't know much about the life of Thomas Mann before I picked this up. I'd read some of his things, and always enjoyed them, but not I feel like I should go back and read Death in Venice. I feel like some of his tortured soul will come through in ways I didn't get to experience before. I loved this book and am so grateful for the glimpse into the brilliant brain of this writer.

This book is a fictionalized account of Thomas Mann's life, starting with his provincial childhood, passing through his passion for art and literature, his controversial sexual inclinations, the intimacy of his family life. with the twentieth century Germany and the rise of the Third Reich as historical background. Thomas Mann is one of my favorites authors so as soon as I saw this book on Netgalley I knew I had to read it. And what a treat was reading it (I even bought myself a hardcopy of the book because is a book to have and cherish). I think that Toibin did a great job, not only the research and documentation, but by trying to understand and describe Mann's feelings and internal struggle with his sexuality. He was a tormented man that was able to transform his inner demons in beautiful literature. And I loved how Toibin portrayed that catharsis.
An absolute delight to read!