The Magician, Colm Toibin, author; Gunnar Cauthery, narrator
So skillfully, Toibin brings the characters to life, leading us down their streets, into their homes, observing them at work, play, in danger, and in casual conversation, giving voice to their aspirations and fears, that after awhile, the reader grows so completely immersed in the book, that the reader becomes part of it, rather than existing outside of it.
The author covers the life of Thomas Mann, a complex personality, from the early 20th century through both World Wars and beyond. A good deal of the book is devoted to family dynamics which represented the formality of the times, the intransigence of the upper classes, and the hate and bigotry that developed for those that were different, more successful, or more powerful, which resulted in the rise of Hitler and the devastation caused by the Holocaust.
Betrayed by his father, discouraged from pursuing the career he preferred, confused by his own desires, Thomas Mann defied the odds. He forged ahead relentlessly, always seeming to land on his feet successfully because of his decisions. He never failed to act, when necessary, even when it meant uprooting the family or encouraging family members to separate.
Mann was politically influential. Was he influential enough, when he was forced to leave his own country with his Jewish wife and relatives, to have had a greater impact on the public perception of Hitler and his monstrous behavior? Did he speak out loudly and clearly enough, or was he guilty of remaining far more neutral than he should have, like many others who merely believed they had to protect their own images and family members, thus becoming almost complicit in the horrors committed by Germany as they turned a blind eye to the plight of those less fortunate?
This man with confused at times. He kept his homosexual sexual desires hidden, largely from the public, but was more obvious in his needs to those who were close to him. By managing his needs more intellectually, than giving in to impulsive sexual desire, he managed to keep the scandal away from himself. He married an influential woman, fathering half a dozen children, and writing powerful books that borught him tremendous acclaim, including a Nobel Prize. All of these actions served to protect his image from scandal and shame during his lifetime.
Although it is long and sometimes tedious with detail, Toibin has managed to bring Mann to life in a human, compassionate way that may or may not be deserved. Forced from his country to avoid arrest and worse, he managed to survive the wars and conflicts during his lifetime, and he did this in relative comfort which was afforded to him by the good graces of others who were influential. However, in his wake, he left a lot of damaged children, a lack of ardent actions against Hitler, and many secrets. Was he truly a Magician as his children called him, or merely a dictator in his family, someone more interested in self-preservation than family relationships or the larger picture of world peace. He survived adversity, presented a formal, well-mannered image to the world, and achieved great success, but when he returned to Germany, where he witnessed the horrors that he managed to avoid, he realized he had avoided the worst of it and questioned his own behavior…but how much did he feel remorse? Did he believe there was hope for a better future? Did Toibin’s ending imply that the beauty of the world would return? That its absence was temporary once the secret ingredient of a peaceful world was revealed, once beauty returned.
Homosexuality, drug addiction, anti-Semitism, and various types of deviant behavior or rebellion were all introduced and developed extremely well with the prurient details in so many current books of today. Obviously, careful research resulted in this fictional depiction of Thomas Mann during his lifetime.