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"An enormous brick-red, boiled ham appeared, strewn with crumbs and served with a sour brown onion sauce, and so many vegetables that the company could have satisfied their appetites from that one dish.

Lebrecht Kroger undertook the carving, and skillfully cut the succulent slices, with his elbows slightly elevated and his two long forefingers laid out along the back of the knife and fork. With the ham went the Frau Consul's celebrated " Russian jam" - a pungent fruit conserve flavoured with spirits."

From Thomas Mann's classic German novel, set in the mid 1800s, comes this evocation of a sumptuous dinner party, presided over by old Johann Buddenbrooks and his son, the Consul. Father and his cronies stand for the Old Order, whilst the Consul sees change in the wind. Whatever, the family are close and much merriment is had, even when Dr Grabow is called to deal with a pressing case of... well, what exactly?

Read by Adrian Scarborough.
Translated by HT Lowe-Porter.
Producer Duncan Minshull.

First broadcast in August 2011.