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Morten Høi Jensen is a Danish-American writer and critic. He is the author of A Difficult Death: The Life and Work of Jens Peter Jacobsen and has contributed to numerous publications, including the Washington Post, the New York Review of Books, Commonweal, and Liberties.
“An approachable and informative study.”—Chris Power, The Guardian “Packed with facts and engagingly written . . . exactly the introduction the Anglophone lover of Mann’s novel needs. . . . The Master of Contradictions offers us a new way to think about Mann as a writer and pedagogue whose first object of education was himself. It is a worthy tribute to this fascinating writer.”—Susan Bernofsky, The Nation “A lavish work of historical analysis that doubles as a kind of psychological thriller. Mann’s magnum opus is not just a novel, Jensen suggests, but a thinly veiled spiritual autobiography.”—Anna Ballan, New Criterion “Jensen takes us on a fascinating journey. . . . Superbly researched. . . . A gripping account of the personal transformation that Thomas Mann underwent during the writing of The Magic Mountain.”—Costica Bradatan, Commonweal “A nuanced portrait . . . thoughtful [and] perceptive.”—Kirkus Reviews “It is a mark of a talented writer that, in the span of a single page, Jensen shifts from lucid, informative prose to vivid, novelistic storytelling. . . . The Master of Contradictions is a biography, a history book and a work of literary criticism, but it is also a provocation to the present. . . . Jensen shows us that we have much to learn from Mann.”—Charlotte Stroud, Engelsberg Ideas “Brilliant. . . . Jensen provides the best possible introduction to Mann’s great book, along with a lucid portrait of Mann’s character as an author.”—David Mikics, Tablet “The Master of Contradictions is many things: a biography of Thomas Mann’s The Magic Mountain, a history of the Weimar Republic, and a story about one reader’s relationship to the most beguiling novel of the twentieth century. Morten Høi Jensen writes from a place of profound feeling and deep erudition. He is the perfect guide to the novel’s intricate, enchanted world; I did not want to stop exploring it with him.”—Merve Emre, contributing writer, New Yorker “The Master of Contradictions could not be a more perfect book for our times. Jensen charts Mann’s progress from an enthusiastic militarist who scorned democracy to a stalwart defender of the Weimar Republic with sensitivity, intelligence, and a sharp eye for poetic detail.”—Phil Klay, author of Missionaries “Meticulously detailed, with delicious bites of gossip, Jensen gives the reader a portrait of Mann at his finest and most human. Tender and personal, brash and piercing, finely researched and a pleasure to read.”— Samantha Rose Hill, author of Hannah Arendt “An absolutely gripping read!”—Tobias Boes, author of A Reader’s Guide to Thomas Mann’s “Doctor Faustus” “Morten Høi Jensen’s study of The Magic Mountain reads like a mystery story, inspiring fascination and head-shaking admiration, as it distills beautifully an immense range of books and information.”—Stanley Corngold, author of The Mind in Exile: Thomas Mann in Princeton
