Davos decadence: Finding wisdom in Mann’s “Magic Mountain” – Adrian Wooldridge

In an era dominated by the glitz of the World Economic Forum (WEF), Adrian Wooldridge argues for a more profound retreat into literature, specifically Thomas Mann's 1924 masterpiece, "The Magic Mountain." Contrasting the decadence of Davos with Mann's allegory of prewar Germany, Wooldridge reflects on the exhaustion, stagnation, and disconnect in today's world. Drawing parallels between Mann's characters' ideological clashes and contemporary political discourse, Wooldridge implores readers to seek insights from literature, reminding us that, unlike Mann's prewar Europe, we still have time to rewrite our story.

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By Adrian Wooldridge

It's that time of the year again — when educated people everywhere take a break from the office, disconnect their electronic devices and reread Thomas Mann's The Magic Mountain. Pushy people might have flown to the World Economic Forum's annual gathering in Switzerland and shuffled from meeting to meeting. Sophisticated people, though, prefer to lose themselves in the Davos of Mann's imagination.

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