Culture | Literary lives
Colm Toibin’s new novel brings Thomas Mann to life
“The Magician” is a grave homage flecked with irony and mischief
The Magician. By Colm Toibin. Scribner; 512 pages; $28. Viking; £18.99
This article appeared in the Culture section of the print edition under the headline “Daylight on the magic”
Culture October 9th 2021
From the October 9th 2021 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionMore from Culture
Design an Economist cover
Test your design skills
Ovation inflation has spread from Broadway to London’s West End
Why do dud plays get standing ovations?
Are mystics kooks or valuable disrupters?
A realist’s refreshing take on mysticism
Sex and Snow White: how Grimm should children’s books be?
The German authors suggest very, but today trends run the opposite way
Jimmy Lai’s trial is a headline-worthy example of injustice
A new biography aims to keep the public’s attention on the pro-democracy tycoon
Millennials and Gen Z are falling hard for stuffed animals
Plushies are cute, cuddly and costly