Status
Available
Collection
Publication
New York, Knopf, 1951.
Description
First published in 1951, The Holy Sinner explores a subject that fascinated Thomas Mann to the end of his life--the origins of evil and evil's connection with magic. Here Mann uses a medieval legend about 'the exceeding mercy of God and the birth of the blessed Pope Gregory' as he used the Biblical account of Joseph as the basis for Joseph and His Brothers--illuminating with his ironic sensibility the notion of original sin and transcendence of evil.
User reviews
LibraryThing member js229
Surprisingly readable despite the unpromising synopsis; the shrunken Gregory on a rock in the middle of a lake rather reminded me of Voldemort in exile. (Read in a seacaptain's house in Whitby)
LibraryThing member PossMan
This is a book about a man who is born from the union of brother and sister and as a baby is delivered to the sea in a cask. Brought up by monks he eventually goes in search of his parents and ends up marrying his mother. Then follow many years of penance on a rock in the middle of a lake. He then
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is sought out and becomes Pope. In this role he is rediscovered by his mother. I first bought this book in 1966, over 30 years ago, and remembered it as a wonderful book. I have just re-read it and it does little for me. Show Less
LibraryThing member MarthaJeanne
This fascinated me in college; I wrote a paper contrasting Mann's treatment with the work by Hartmann von Aue that he based it on. Time to reread.
LibraryThing member DanielSTJ
This was a tough novel to get into. While some of the prose was great, the overall story bounced around a lot and proved to be a little triffling. Nevertheless, there are still things to be glimpsed here and Mann manages to hold his language together--something not altogether untrue for some of his
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other works. A decent effort, but falls a little short. Show Less
Awards
National Book Award (Finalist — Fiction — 1952)
The New York Times Notable Books of the Year (Fiction — 1951)
Notable Books List (1951)