Beethoven

Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: Worn/faded, no tears
Pages: Tanning and foxing
Markings: Previous owner

Few lives in the history of Western music have inspired as much wonder, myth, and reverence as that of Ludwig van Beethoven — and Maynard Solomon's landmark biography strips away the legend to reveal the complex, tormented, and transcendent human being beneath. Published in 1977 and widely regarded as the definitive scholarly biography of the composer, the work chronicles Beethoven's journey from his turbulent Bonn childhood under an alcoholic father, through his triumphant yet agonizing years in Vienna, to his final, defiant compositions written in total deafness. Solomon, a distinguished musicologist and psychoanalytic thinker, presents an unflinching portrait of a man at war with the world and with himself, whose personal suffering became the crucible for some of humanity's most enduring art. What sets this biography apart is Solomon's rigorous integration of psychoanalytic theory with meticulous historical research, producing a narrative that is as psychologically penetrating as it is musically illuminating. He argues that Beethoven's creative output cannot be separated from his inner life — his unresolved family conflicts, his desperate longing for love, and his fiercely guarded independence. The result is a portrait that resonates far beyond musicology, touching on universal themes of isolation, identity, and the redemptive power of artistic creation. For anyone who has ever been moved by the Ninth Symphony or the late string quartets and wondered at the forces that shaped them, Solomon's Beethoven offers an answer that is both intellectually rigorous and deeply human.