This paper reflects on some significant aspects of one of Claudio Magris' most famous works, Danube. By highlighting the topos of sea and the character of Ulysses in his writing and in the critical debate on it, it is intended to explore the metamorphosis of the Danube. Following Magris’ idea, according to which in literature the sea can be present even when it is not mentioned directly, the representation of the river appears to be not fixed; sometimes its boundaries expand so much that it looks like a sea. In this way, a wider context can be defined, that sometimes welcomes, sometimes overwhelms the narration of other authors, whose traces Magris records along its journey. In particular, the focus is put on the intricate plot that develops among invention, scientific accuracy, and autobiographical narrative, and that links Magris to two great German-speaking authors, namely Kafka and Canetti. The latter are located one in Kierling, in the sanatorium where Kafka died, the other one in Ruse, at the birthplace of Elias Canetti. Metaphorically, a space is created between the beginning and the end, between life and death, and in the middle the sea of literature opens up. It is exactly the presence of this immense sea that makes the boundaries of any opposition fleeting and continuously subject to redefinition, giving rise to a hybrid landscape that reflects the work of Magris in its most original form between essay and narrative, proposing a renewed image of Central Europe (Mitteleuropa).
