🎧 Audiobook Excerpt from Thomas Mann's The Magic Mountain. Read by Chapter Breaks – Short Literary Escapes. Classic audio pills for your commute, bedtime unwind, or a break anytime. At Chapter Breaks, we carefully select and curate iconic passages from classic novels — timeless opening chapters, dramatic turning points, or unforgettable finales. Each episode is around 20–30 minutes, designed to let you dip into great literature without the commitment of a full audiobook. The Magic Mountain - Thomas Mann - Chapter 1 | The Arrival. Hans Castorp’s solitary journey into the whiteness of the Alps — and into himself. Thomas Mann’s The Magic Mountain is one of the great novels of the twentieth century, a work that turns a mountain sanatorium into a symbol of Europe itself on the eve of the First World War. In these opening pages, we follow Hans Castorp, a young engineering student from Hamburg, as he journeys to the Swiss Alps to visit his cousin Joachim. What begins as a simple three-week holiday quickly takes on another dimension, as Hans enters a rarefied world where time seems to move differently, where illness and philosophy intertwine, and where the mountain air itself seems to draw him away from ordinary life. This first encounter with the Berghof sanatorium introduces us to the novel’s atmosphere of stillness, mystery, and slow transformation. Hans may believe he has come only for a brief stay, but the mountains have other plans for him. Now let's open the page together, settle in and experience Hans Castorp’s first ascent into the rarefied air of The Magic Mountain. New episodes every week. Listen, Follow and Share to help us bring more classics to life! Music and visuals are in the public domain or licensed via Pictory – full licence available on their website.