Translations from German and French sources are my own. I have not attempted literary elegance but have focused on conveying the sense of the texts I quote or allude to, as I understand them.
As noted in the list of abbreviations, four translations of Thomas Mann’s novella
Death in Venice are frequently cited. The original translation by Mrs. H. T. Lowe-Porter (cited as
LP) was valuable in introducing Thomas Mann’s story to an English audience, but, as Mann eventually came to understand, her renderings of his works were not always distinguished by their accuracy. Although the Lowe-Porter translations continue to be widespread, they have been surpassed in recent years by some truly excellent alternatives. For
Death in Venice, David Luke’s version (cited as
L) set new and higher standards: Luke’s book is also valuable in containing other stories (including “Little Herr Friedemann”) that are not often included in collections of Mann’s early short fiction. Two other translations meet the demanding precedent set by Luke. Clayton Koelb’s Norton Critical Edition (cited as
K) is, like Luke’s version, careful and sensitive to the nuances of Mann’s thoughts; Koelb also reprints some of the best commentary on
Death in Venice and provides extracts from Mann’s letters and the full working notes for the novella. Finally, Michael Henry Heim’s translation (cited as
H) has rightly won acclaim for its literary qualities.
English readers owe much to all these translators. As with so many (all?) major writers, however, there is no substitute for reading Thomas Mann in the original.