Thomas Mann is one of the most important writers of the twentieth century. In novels such as Buddenbrooks (for which he received the Nobel Prize for Literature), The Magic Mountain and Doctor Faustus he grappled with the political, moral and intellectual issues that have come to dominate the self-understanding of our age. This present study of Mann's fiction, intended for the first-time reader of Mann, focuses not only upon his epic and intellectually challenging novels. But also looks at important short stories and novellas, works such as "Tonio Kroger," "Death in Venice" and "Mario and the Magician," in which a more personal and intimate note emerges in Mann's writing. These major texts are placed both within the context of Mann's own life and within the broader political and intellectual history of the period in which he lived.