Buddenbrooks*

Buddenbrooks*

Decay of an Old German Family

The Buddenbrooks:

Johann Buddenbrook. The son of the founder of the firm. "A kind papa, a worthy man." A German of the old 18th Century school who "never in all his life has worn a pair of trousers." Able in business, he has raised the Buddenbrooks to their important position. What if he is a rough diamond, who sometimes forgets himself and relapses into low German dialect before the fine guests?

Johonn Buddenbrook, the Younger. The son of old Johann. More refined than Johann, he is just as able. His only trouble is that he believes God is personally supervising all the decisions he makes. A belief which sometimes leads him to attach undue importance to them.

Thomas Buddenbrook. The son of the younger Johann. Even if he has a scornful way of lifting one of his eyebrows and a fondness for quoting Heine, he too is able at business. True, it is under his management that the family comes to grief. But that is because being a Buddenbrook now involves responsibilities that are too much for any man.

Christian Buddenbrook. The brother of Thomas. At the age of seven a skillful mimic of Marcellus Stengel, his schoolmaster, he is pronounced "witty and brilliant" by Jean Jacques Hoffstede, the poet. He continues a skillful mimic to the end. But beyond that he accomplishes nothing--except to spend Buddenbrook money and to irritate the steadier Thomas.

Antonie Buddenbrook. The sister of Thomas. At 17 a "silly goose" by her own confession, later on she "knows life" and is anxious to tell you this. Her chief skill seems to be in making unsuccessful marriages, of which she contracts two. One with Bendix Grun-lich, a fraud with handsome yellow moustaches, a faculty for falling dramatically on his knees at just the correct moment, and a distinct taste for the Buddenbrook money. The second with Herr Permaneder, a really kind-hearted if totally impossible Municher.

Hanno Buddenbrook. The son of Thomas. He inherits a musical temperament from his mother, nee Gerda Sorenson. He tries to please his father by showing an interest in the business, but is not very convincing at it. One of his days may be "fuller than a lifetime of the earlier Buddenbrooks," but with him the Buddenbrook line expires.

The Story. In 1835, with old Johann at the head of the family, the Buddenbrooks are at the height of their prosperity. This prosperity is maintained by the younger Johann. But as the third generation grows up, you see signs of its decline. Even Thomas' energy cannot repair the damage done by Christian's wasting and by Antonie's two disastrous marriages. He does manage to keep up appearances and even to be elected Senator. But when in 1875 he dies, with no capable successor, the business has to be wound up and the end has come.

The Significance. Ostensibly the study of the decay through over-prosperity of a North German merchant family, actually an able and complete study of this, Buddenbrooks is at least two other things: A vividly written picture of the color and way of living of an older and attractive Germany that is now, and that has been for nearly half a century, as dead as Nineveh; and an extraordinarily brilliant depiction of the characters of a group of persons that makes it about as interesting a book as has been offered to the American reading public for a num-ber of years. The last quality is what calls for superlatives. Every character in the book is exhibited to you brilliantly. But Thomas and Christian and Antonie--and a few others--are not merely exhibited to you. Instead, practically the lifetime of each is portrayed flawlessly. You are allowed to see how they change and yet do not change in the slightest; how they grow old both inperceptibly and suddenly.

The Author. Thomas Mann, himself the son of a North German merchant, was born in 1875. Because of the wishes of his family, he spent a short time in the life insurance business, writing secretly at night. But he soon went to Italy for a year. On returning he became the editor of Sim-plicissimus (funny paper, now defunct). Buddenbrooks first appeared in 1901, when Mann was 26 years old. He now lives at Munich, is German correspondent for The Dial.

*BUDDENBROOKS--Thomas Mann--Knopf (2 yols.--$5.00).