About “The Holy Sinner”
The Holy Sinner is a novel by Thomas Mann, published in 1951. It is based on the medieval verse epic Gregorius by Hartmann von Aue. The story draws from a legend about "the exceeding mercy of God and the birth of the blessed Pope Gregory." Mann explores themes of evil, magic, and the origins of sin, reflecting his lifelong fascination with these ideas. The novel also touches on the concept of original sin and the overcoming of evil, using a medieval narrative to examine religious and philosophical questions. Like Joseph and His Brothers, it is grounded in a biblical account, but here the focus is on a medieval legend. (Summary adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.)
Book details
- Published
- 1951