Miracolose primavere, meravigliosi inganni. Analisi comparata de “L’inganno” di Thomas Mann e “Le Mirage” di Jean-Claude Guiguet.

The article sheds light upon two great but neglected works of the twentieth century: Thomas Mann’s short novel Die Betrogene (“The Black Swan”, 1953) and Jean-Claude Guiguet’s cinematic adaptation, Le Mirage (1992). The two works, born forty years apart and conceived in different languages, show significant similarities as well as differences. The film confirms the international and intermedial success of the German author from Lubeck. The first section of the paper is dedicated to the short story and to its creator: the last years of Thomas Mann are closely related to the provocative and subversive structure of the short novel. Furthermore, the article tackles the topic of the reception of Mann in France after World War II. After a brief introduction to Guiguet’s cinema, the article suggests an analysis of the movie, whose setting and metaphorical scenes can be interpreted in the light of the director’s political and cultural convictions, as proved by the passages analysed in the article. The conclusions aim to connect Mann’s autobiographical and cultural heritage to Guiguet’s adaptation, considering the movie as part of Thomas Mann’s reception.