A wonderfully readable and accessible account of a very complex man. Callow’s knowledge, insight and enthusiasm carry the reader along in an immersive reading experience, leavened by a judicious amount of gossip and anecdote. This is Wagner the man, and what an interesting man he was. His music is not discussed in great detail – there are plenty of books which do that – but there is enough here to give a flavour of it and as an introduction I found Callow’s explanations and descriptions illuminating and helpful. This is a must-read for anyone wanting to learn more about Wagner and his tempestuous life and career.

Despite occasionally a shrill maybe overdone voice, Callow's story of Wagner based on his reading of letters and diaries and his journalism is a performative attempt to capture the nature of this extraordinary man. I don't ask a scholarly deep reading of the man's work and music - there are many volumes about that - but what this author delivers is a true sense of how wagner presented himself, and perhaps was overwhelmed by his own personality. An actor might well know how to observe such dynamic and i found myself utterly confident in his voice telling me the difficulties and final rise in Wagner's life. An excellent read about a gigantism figure.