Doctor Faustus is a novel by Thomas Mann, first published in 1947. It tells the story of a man who sells his soul to the devil in exchange for knowledge and power.
Faustus is a brilliant scholar who has grown dissatisfied with the limits of human knowledge. He turns to black magic and makes a pact with the devil, Mephistopheles. In exchange for his soul, Faustus is given 24 years of unlimited power and knowledge.
For a time, Faustus is content, using his powers to perform great feats and amaze those around him. But as the years pass, he grows increasingly restless and dissatisfied. He comes to realize that the price of his soul is too high, and that he has squandered his life in pursuit of power and knowledge that can never truly satisfy him.
In the end, Faustus is consumed by despair and regret, and he damnation. The novel is a tragedy about the dangers of hubris and the seductive power of evil.