Wagner The Last of the Titans Joachim Kohler

This major new biography of Richard Wagner is iconoclastic, astringent and bold. It explores the philosophical roots of Wagner's work, which the composer himself deliberately obfuscated. It re-evaluates Wagner's relationships with his mother, step-father and - most revealingly - his wife, Cosima, standing received opinion on its head. And he meets head on, and confirms, the controversy over Wagner's anti-semitism. At the same time, and notwithstanding, Kohler profoundly acknowledges Wagner's genius. His biography should become the standard account for a good many years. .

Joachim Kohler is the author of Nietzsche and Wagner: A Lesson in Subjugation and Zarathustra's Secret: The Interior Life of Friedrich Nietzsche, published by Yale University Press.

"The most stimulating study of Wagner to have been published for years. An enthralling read." - Barry Millington"