''impossible here, absurd, depraved, ludicrous and yet sacred, still honourable, even here: "I love you!"This volume contains a generous selection of the short fiction Thomas Mann published in the years 1897 to 1912, after which he turned to larger-scale projects. The acknowledged classic among the early shorter fiction is the novella Death in Venice, in which Mann develops a lyrical style and a range of mythological allusions, through the forbidden love of a middle-aged man for a teenage boy, a theme with roots in Mann''s own emotional experience. In many of his shorter works, Mann uses irony and humour to treat the conflict between sensitive, often artistic souls and the vital, often brutal forces of life. The stories, usually about isolated figures, convey a mixture of humour, sadness, and irony which invites ambivalent responses from readers. This new set of translations by Ritchie Robertson and Nicola Luckhurst is accompanied by explanatory notes and introduction.ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World''s Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford''s commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.