فاغنر: اختراع وحش

Wagner is known as the most evil figure in the world of arts. He is often credited with inspiring Hitler's murderous anti-Semitism, and a group of ruthless mercenaries - known as the "Wagner Group" - was named after him. However, many of the worst accusations against him are based on misunderstanding or even fabrication: on a letter he never wrote, or opinions he did not express. Key passages in Cosima Wagner's memoirs have been misinterpreted due to a lack of verification of her background. In his book "Wagner: The Invention of a Monster", Derek Hughes re-examines this controversial figure, tracing the gradual falsification of his views from the 1960s to the present day. The book includes in-depth new research into the early reception and understanding of his operatic works, and Hughes compares modern assessments of the composer with those of Wagner's own era, and then during the Third Reich. In the end, the book reaches a perhaps surprising conclusion: many contemporary critics see more Nazism in Wagner than the Nazis themselves did. "Wagner: Inventing a Monster" is an invitation to re-evaluate one of the greatest German composers, and consider whether he deserves to have his image tarnished over the past sixty years.