Book of the week: Black Gold by Jeremy Paxman
Paxman’s history of coal is told with ‘characteristic panache’
The German novelist Thomas Mann (1875-1955) led an overwhelmingly “sedentary existence”, said Lucy Hughes-Hallett in The Guardian: most of his adult life was either spent “behind a desk”, creating the works that brought him wealth and fame (such as Buddenbrooks and Death in Venice), or “going for sedate little postprandial walks with his wife”.
Yet from such unpromising material, Colm Tóibín has fashioned a “compelling fictionalised biography” – which exquisitely balances the “intimate and the momentous”.
This isn’t the first time Tóibín has portrayed a writer who subsumed his homosexual desires into his work, said Dwight Garner in The New York Times: in the Booker-shortlisted The Master (2004), he delved into the mind of Henry James. But while that book focused on a four-year period, here Tóibín “seeks to grasp the entirety of Mann’s life and times”.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
He does so “over 18 date-stamped, place-tagged chapters”, which move from Lübeck in 1891 to Los Angeles in 1950, said Anthony Cummins in The Observer. As the novel progresses, two main themes emerge: Mann’s “hidden yearnings as a married father of six” (including his attraction towards his teenage son, Klaus), and the “problem of how to position himself amid the dawning horrors of Nazi Germany”. While individual scenes are subtle and moving, the enterprise as a whole is “somewhat confounding” – uncomfortably “stranded in a stylistic no man’s land between biography and fiction”.
I disagree, said John Self in The Times. Tóibín’s quiet, “unruffled” sentences are perfect for capturing Mann’s “struggling restraint”. No mere biography, this is a captivating “work of art” – and probably the finest novel Tóibín has written.
Viking 448pp £18.99; The Week Bookshop £14.99
The Week Bookshop
To order this title or any other book in print, visit theweekbookshop.co.uk, or speak to a bookseller on 020-3176 3835. Opening times: Monday to Saturday 9am-5.30pm and Sunday 10am-4pm.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome: a rare but troubling health risk for cannabis users
The Explainer The illness is sending some chronic marijuana users to emergency care for painful persistent vomiting
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
5 animated hotels where the wild things very much are
The Week Recommends Elephants and giraffes and penguins, oh my!
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
The history of Donald Trump's election conspiracy theories
The Explainer How the 2024 Republican nominee has consistently stoked baseless fears of a stolen election
By David Faris Published
-
Vanessa Bell: A World of Form and Colour – an 'expansive' exhibition
The Week Recommends The 'sweeping' show features over 140 works from paintings to ceramics
By The Week UK Published
-
Kate Summerscale picks her favourite true crime books
The Week Recommends The writer shares works by Janet Malcolm, Helen Garner and Mark O'Connell
By The Week UK Published
-
The Forsyte Saga: 'faultless' production with a 'pitch-perfect' cast
The Week Recommends Theatrical adaptation of John Galsworthy's novels is a 'must-see' show
By The Week Published
-
6 exciting homes for athletes
Feature Featuring a rock-climbing wall in New York and a basketball-tennis court in Washington
By The Week Staff Published
-
Peter Ames Carlin's 6 favorite books on pop culture icons
Feature The author recommends works by James McBride, Jim Bouton, and more
By The Week US Published
-
The Wild Robot: animated adventure is 'warm, funny and wise'
The Week Recommends 'Sharply written and richly detailed' adaptation of Peter Brown's best-selling book
By The Week UK Published
-
Francis Bacon: Human Presence – a 'stirring, splendid' exhibition
The Week Recommends 'Riveting' show at the National Portrait Gallery explores the artist's 'wild' portraits
By The Week UK Published
-
Robert McCrum shares his favourite books on sport
The Week Recommends Writer and editor picks works by Nick Hornby, David Goldblatt and others
By The Week UK Published