"Der Tod in Venedig" by Thomas Mann is a novella written in 1911. It tells the story of Gustav von Aschenbach, a celebrated writer in his fifties who travels to Venice for rest. There, he becomes fascinated by a beautiful young boy staying at his hotel. As Aschenbach surrenders to his late-life infatuation, he abandons the strict discipline that defined his existence. Meanwhile, a cholera epidemic secretly spreads through the city, setting the stage for what Mann called "the tragedy of a degradation."