. ▁K ran ich , ▁and ▁two ▁artists ▁named ▁Leo ▁Z ink ▁and ▁Bapt ist ▁Sp eng ler . ▁ ▁Zeit bl om ▁ins ists , ▁however , ▁on ▁the ▁unique ▁clos eness ▁of ▁his ▁own ▁relationship ▁to ▁Ad rian , ▁for ▁he ▁remains ▁the ▁only ▁person ▁whom ▁the ▁composer ▁addresses ▁by ▁the ▁familiar ▁pron oun . ▁Ad rian ▁meets ▁the ▁Schwe ig est ill ▁family ▁at ▁P fe iffer ing ▁in ▁the ▁country ▁an ▁hour ▁from ▁Mun ich , ▁which ▁later ▁becomes ▁his ▁permanent ▁home ▁and ▁retre at . ▁While ▁a ▁fict ional ▁town , ▁Mann ▁based ▁P fe iffer ing ▁on ▁the ▁actual ▁Bav arian ▁town ▁of ▁Pol ling . ▁ ▁He ▁lives ▁at ▁Pal estr ina ▁in ▁Italy ▁with ▁Sch ild kn app ▁in ▁ 1 9 1 2 , ▁and ▁Zeit bl om ▁vis its ▁them . ▁It ▁is ▁there ▁that ▁Ad rian , ▁working ▁on ▁music ▁for ▁an ▁oper atic ▁adaptation ▁of ▁Shakespeare ' s ▁Love ' s ▁Labour ' s ▁Lost , ▁has ▁his ▁long ▁dialog ue ▁with ▁a ▁Me ph ist oph eles ▁figure ▁who ▁appears ▁either ▁object ively ▁or ▁out ▁of ▁his ▁own ▁aff lic ted ▁soul . ▁In ▁these ▁central ▁pages , ▁the ▁ful c rum ▁of ▁the ▁story , ▁Zeit bl om ▁presents ▁Ad rian ' s ▁manuscript ▁of ▁the ▁conversation . ▁The ▁demon , ▁speaking ▁in ▁arch a ic ▁German , ▁claims ▁Es mer al da ▁as ▁the ▁instrument ▁by ▁which ▁he ▁entra ps ▁Ad rian ▁and ▁offers ▁him ▁twenty - four