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There is a mini-resurgence in interest in Thomas Mann these days. This edition is the wonderful translation by H. T. Lowe-Porter from 1948. Based loosely on Arnold Schoenberg and set in Germany before World War II, it is the application of the Faust legend to the life of a modern classical composer who sells his soul for earthly fame. There is a wealth of German culture (music, poetry, literature) within these pages. It is one of those books needing close reading, sunk deep in an armchair while winter whirls outside.