2396 Stories of Three Decades, by Thomas Mann translated from the German by H. T. Lowe-Porter (read 14 Jul 1991) While reading a biography of Mann and his brother I decided I should read these stories. The book was first published in the US in 1936 and contains all of Mann's fiction prior to 1940 except the long novels. There are 24 stories, and some were a burden to read. For instance, "Tristan" was so boring I cannot now remember a thing about it! "Death in Venice," a 1911 story, is of course famous and is a sickening and memorable story. But "A Man and His Dog," for instance, I found extremely boring, though it tells a simple little plotless tale of a dog. The last story, a 1929 one titled "Maria and the Magician," at least told a story of some interest and made one want to keep reading. I cannot say it was worth my time to read most of the stories in this book. ( )

Currently the only translation available of almost all of his shorter works, including his [I must admit, rather boring] play Fiorenza. All but his earliest efforts are included in this volume. ( )