“And after all, what kind could be truer to the spirit of the times? Gustave Aschenbach was the poet-spokesman of all those who labour at the edge of exhaustion; of the overburdened, of those who are already worn out but still hold themselves upright; of all our modern moralizers of accomplishment, with stunted growth and scanty resources, who yet contrive by skilful husbanding and prodigious spasms of will to produce, at least for awhile, the effect of greatness. There are many such, they are the heroes of the age.”
Thomas Mann, “Death in Venice”, 1911.
A Bird's Eye View of Fashion, Food, Travel, Culture, Beverage and Curiosity 