Death in Venice is a novella written by Thomas Mann in 1912. It tells the story of Gustav von Aschenbach, an aging writer who visits Venice and becomes obsessed with a young Polish boy. The term 'Morte' is the Italian word for death, which is a major theme in the novella. 'Mannabouttown' is a reference to the protagonist, Gustav von Aschenbach, who is a famous writer from a small German town.