In Thomas Mann's novella Death in Venice, a distinguished writer's holiday from the burdens of his work turns out very differently from what he expected. By means of the story, Mann explores the relationships between disciplined intellect and ungoverned passion, and between decaying age and youthful beauty, against a background that resonates today in a time of pandemics. It was first published in German (as Der Tod in Venedig) in 1912.

The translation by Kenneth Burke used in this recording was originally serialized in three parts in the literary periodical The Dial in 1924. Death in Venice has been adapted for film, opera, radio, and stage plays, and even ballet!