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The Swan King: Ludwig II of Bavaria
"The Swan King" is the biography of one of the most enigmatic figures of the 19th century, described by Verlaine as 'the only true king of his century'. A man of wildly eccentric temperament and touched by a rare, imaginative genius, Ludwig II of Bavaria is remembered both for his patronage of Richard Wagner and for the fabulous palaces which he created as part of a dream-world to escape the responsibilities of state. In realization of his fantasies, he created a ferment of creativity among artists and craftsmen, while his neglect of Bavaria's political interests made powerful enemies among those critical of his self-indulgence and excesses. At the age of 40, declared insane in a plot to depose him, Ludwig died in mysterious circumstances.
352 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1982
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
January 9, 2019
This isn’t a particularly great book, but it’s adequate to its subject, who wasn’t a particularly great king. For people with an interest in Ludwig who can’t (or won’t) read about him in German, it is about as good as it gets.
One of the first things I noticed when I mentioned I was reading this book to others is that almost everyone confuses Ludwig II with Ludwig I. This is not a book about “Mad Ludwig,” nor about an affair with Lola Montez. That was his grandfather. This is about the fellow that sponsored Wagner to complete the Ring Cycle, encouraged him to set up a base in Bavaria (ultimately Bayreuth, although the original plan was for Munich), and built Neuschwanstein Castle, probably the most photographed castle in the world. Ludwig II was ultimately deposed for being unfit to rule, and he had some rather eccentric habits, but he wasn’t known for being “mad” the way grandpa was.
McIntosh brings a sympathetic yet critical eye to Ludwig II, who oddly was still an object of adoration in some monarchist circles in Bavaria at the time he wrote this. He may still be. I was a little concerned when I found that the book was headed by a quote from Aleister Crowley and that McIntosh’s previous work included a biography of Eliphas Levi, but there is no “occult” reinterpretation of history here. Indeed, McIntosh’s familiarity with the legend of the Grail, for example, probably helps him to understand Ludwig’s (and Wagner’s) fascination with it, but he does not plumb it for “hidden meanings” that actually obscure the facts. The most interesting sections of the book deal with Ludwig’s promotion of Wagner, and with his building projects (including Neuschwanstein), and to really get at these, one has to be willing to enter Ludwig’s worlds of fantasy and myth, and this McIntosh is equipped to do.
In the end, though, Ludwig is a fairly minor figure in history, and this book is really only for the few people who care enough about Bavaria to want to know more than Wikipedia can tell them. Ludwig may have had the potential to be a significant force (he knew Bismarck, and was involved in the creation of the German Empire), but his distaste for politics, diplomacy, and military matters relegated him to the realm of culture, while his lack of financial acumen meant that many of his projects were unfinished in his lifetime. Certainly the book is worth a read if you’re interested, but there are much more interesting figures from the time to study.
One of the first things I noticed when I mentioned I was reading this book to others is that almost everyone confuses Ludwig II with Ludwig I. This is not a book about “Mad Ludwig,” nor about an affair with Lola Montez. That was his grandfather. This is about the fellow that sponsored Wagner to complete the Ring Cycle, encouraged him to set up a base in Bavaria (ultimately Bayreuth, although the original plan was for Munich), and built Neuschwanstein Castle, probably the most photographed castle in the world. Ludwig II was ultimately deposed for being unfit to rule, and he had some rather eccentric habits, but he wasn’t known for being “mad” the way grandpa was.
McIntosh brings a sympathetic yet critical eye to Ludwig II, who oddly was still an object of adoration in some monarchist circles in Bavaria at the time he wrote this. He may still be. I was a little concerned when I found that the book was headed by a quote from Aleister Crowley and that McIntosh’s previous work included a biography of Eliphas Levi, but there is no “occult” reinterpretation of history here. Indeed, McIntosh’s familiarity with the legend of the Grail, for example, probably helps him to understand Ludwig’s (and Wagner’s) fascination with it, but he does not plumb it for “hidden meanings” that actually obscure the facts. The most interesting sections of the book deal with Ludwig’s promotion of Wagner, and with his building projects (including Neuschwanstein), and to really get at these, one has to be willing to enter Ludwig’s worlds of fantasy and myth, and this McIntosh is equipped to do.
In the end, though, Ludwig is a fairly minor figure in history, and this book is really only for the few people who care enough about Bavaria to want to know more than Wikipedia can tell them. Ludwig may have had the potential to be a significant force (he knew Bismarck, and was involved in the creation of the German Empire), but his distaste for politics, diplomacy, and military matters relegated him to the realm of culture, while his lack of financial acumen meant that many of his projects were unfinished in his lifetime. Certainly the book is worth a read if you’re interested, but there are much more interesting figures from the time to study.
February 18, 2021
A very interesting book filled with details about King Ludwig 2nd of Bavaria.
A little "gossipy" in parts which does detract a little from the historical elements but still a very good read.
If anything I now want to visit Bavaria and explore the places mentioned in the book.
A nice 3.5 star read, rounded up!
A little "gossipy" in parts which does detract a little from the historical elements but still a very good read.
If anything I now want to visit Bavaria and explore the places mentioned in the book.
A nice 3.5 star read, rounded up!
October 26, 2016
An easy to digest biography of one of Europe's most enigmatic rulers, the builder of fairy tale castles and the great patron of Wagner and German Opera.
The author's approach to Ludwig's "latent homosexuality" often sounds dated and without a genuine or realistic understanding of sexual orientation, which I could understand in 1950, but the 2012 updates should have sorted that out. But, that is just one stumble in an otherwise intriguing portrait of Bavaria's Mad King/Swan King/Dream King Ludwig II.
The final chapters concerning the plot to depose Ludwig and his mysterious death are well written and evocative.
The author's approach to Ludwig's "latent homosexuality" often sounds dated and without a genuine or realistic understanding of sexual orientation, which I could understand in 1950, but the 2012 updates should have sorted that out. But, that is just one stumble in an otherwise intriguing portrait of Bavaria's Mad King/Swan King/Dream King Ludwig II.
The final chapters concerning the plot to depose Ludwig and his mysterious death are well written and evocative.
November 19, 2010
I read this book in preparation for my trip to Bavaria because he is so famous for his architectural achievements, but has also been deemed mad by certain scholars. This book was objective and fascinating. It gave an entire biography of Ludwig from birth to death and I am glad to now add such a rather obscure figure to my repertoire of biographies.
September 5, 2016
Good But Opinionated and dated
Very comprehensive book but with quite a bite of writing and layout mistakes.
What is even worse is the opinion of the author in what should be an objective text. Example: I realize this book was first published in the early 1980's but referring to Ludwig's sexual identity (he might have been gay) as 'a condition' which 'took a hold of him and worsened over time' is quite offensive.
The book has been added to with every reprint so a book published in 2012 should have an updated use of words. Even though the author is from a generation that tends to dislike progress, a good historic work should be void of opinions and negative emotions. This was just one example and there are quite a few more in the book. Without this the book would have been a much better work.
That being said the book doos give a nice overview of King Ludwig II his life and succeeds in nuancing key moments in his life.
Very comprehensive book but with quite a bite of writing and layout mistakes.
What is even worse is the opinion of the author in what should be an objective text. Example: I realize this book was first published in the early 1980's but referring to Ludwig's sexual identity (he might have been gay) as 'a condition' which 'took a hold of him and worsened over time' is quite offensive.
The book has been added to with every reprint so a book published in 2012 should have an updated use of words. Even though the author is from a generation that tends to dislike progress, a good historic work should be void of opinions and negative emotions. This was just one example and there are quite a few more in the book. Without this the book would have been a much better work.
That being said the book doos give a nice overview of King Ludwig II his life and succeeds in nuancing key moments in his life.
January 5, 2017
I was so excited to read this book for book club, I've always been intrigued by what happened to Ludwig II, and the associated stories of his castles. but this book was a HUGE disappointment. Unorganized, verbose, somewhat contradictory, and really came across as an excuse for the author to write about Wagner under a different pretext.
I read the first part and the last bit, and skimmed the rest, but just couldn't gag down the rest of this book. And normally I like history!!!
Reader beware on this one.
I read the first part and the last bit, and skimmed the rest, but just couldn't gag down the rest of this book. And normally I like history!!!
Reader beware on this one.
December 15, 2024
Ludwig II of Bavaria is best remembered for his patronage of Richard Wagner (composer of the Ring Cycle) and for the fantasy-palaces (e.g. Neuschwanstein Castle) he created. Ludwig II had a dislike for politics, diplomacy and military matters (aka running the State); and had excessive spending habits, especially in support of Wagner, German opera and his architectural ambitions. Ludwig II almost non-existent reign was a completely missed opportunity for Bavaria to influence the unification of was to become the German state. This book is a broad, bare-bones, opinionated and bland overview of Ludwig's life, including speculation on his sexuality; his supposed madness; and a fleeting chapter on the mystery of his death (either suicide, murder or accidental) after being deposed by his uncle and government. I read the supposedly updated 2012 edition, but between the typographical errors and the archaic views of the author, I wonder if any "updating" was done at all.
August 16, 2017
This book gives a good introduction to Ludwig's life. When it comes to the topics that are still a cause of discussion (his homosexuality, his possible mental illness and his death) the author does have certain views on those but also does not fail to mention the things that do not fit 100% with this theory. A somewhat rare treat when it comes to literature on Ludwig.
Mcintoch writes that he only learned about Ludwig because of his fascination with Wagner and it shows. The chapters on Wagner are rather extensive and while it is impossible to write about Ludwig without also talking about Wagner I sometimes wondered if quite as much details had been neccessary.
I had similar feelings about the quotes. The author quotes quite extensively from letters written by/to/about Ludwig and while it's always good to have some things "in their own words" for authenticity's sake, I do think it often would have done to quote only parts of these letters and sum the rest up as they didn't really add anything.
Apart from thise minor annoyiances the book is really great and also comes with a in-depth bibliography of more literature on Ludwig.
Mcintoch writes that he only learned about Ludwig because of his fascination with Wagner and it shows. The chapters on Wagner are rather extensive and while it is impossible to write about Ludwig without also talking about Wagner I sometimes wondered if quite as much details had been neccessary.
I had similar feelings about the quotes. The author quotes quite extensively from letters written by/to/about Ludwig and while it's always good to have some things "in their own words" for authenticity's sake, I do think it often would have done to quote only parts of these letters and sum the rest up as they didn't really add anything.
Apart from thise minor annoyiances the book is really great and also comes with a in-depth bibliography of more literature on Ludwig.
April 10, 2013
King Ludwig is a very fascination person, so I cannot understand how this book could be so utterly boring.
March 5, 2010
A really well written history book about a fascinating historical figure! Well organized, well told story, engaging writing. I couldn't ask for anything more from this book!
May 5, 2016
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May 9, 2022
Every era contains vestiges of the past, and hints of the future, but the 19th century was a very, very strange century, in which the past loomed large and the future was not just uncertain, but an impending threat that promised to destroy everything that came before it. Monarchies still reigned in Europe, but the Curies had also discovered radium.
These contradictions of the fin-de-siecle were wonderfully embodied in Ludwig II of Bavaria, one of the final monarchs to rule (with constitutional oversight) a pre-unified German nation. Physically Ludwig was a mass of contradictions, appearing frail and effeminate on the one hand, and possessing a piercing gaze and standing well over the average height for his time on the other. Intellectually, he was an omnivore and a bit of a dreamer, a man who knew plays and operas by heart, but had little time for statecraft and regarded war as a nuisance that distracted him from the more important task of dreaming.
"The Swan King" follows him from his youth, cosseted in a series of Bavarian mansions and country estates, on into his adulthood, where he took his lavishly appointed, golden-ormolu encased carriage on rides through the towns late at night. He was something of a legend to the local peasants, with whom he felt comfortable and upon whom he showered expensive gifts. He exhausted politicians and political rivals, potential female companions, and was a bit of a tyrant with his domestics and servants. He also ultimately and unfortunately proved to be insane, and depleted his kingdom's coffers trying to bring his visions of fairytale castles and palaces to life throughout Southern Germany.
Eventually he was deposed, and after a short involuntary house arrest, he died under mysterious circumstances. There has been much speculation about the manner of his death (suicide? murder?) as well as his sexuality (latent homosexual? asexual aesthete?) These questions and others are likely to linger as long as the Cult of Ludwig persists. And since our own conception of fairytales and Wagnerian music is very much informed by Ludwig's, we're almost all of us a part of his cult, knowingly or not.
That said, author Christopher McIntosh makes good use of the previously secret or sealed documents at his disposal to clear up some misconceptions and shed light on the darker corners of the Swan King's kingdom. The prose is quietly compelling rather than lively or propulsive, and it naturally can only be so long and so in depth, when more than a century has been spent by the State of Bavaria in repelling all inquiries into the private life of the king, whose reputation they don't want sullied for obvious reasons. That said, the book is well worth the reader's time, and one can't help but ultimately be moved by the sense of romantic doom that pervades the tale of the man who, according to no less a personage than Verlaine, was the last true monarch. Recommended. With photos.
These contradictions of the fin-de-siecle were wonderfully embodied in Ludwig II of Bavaria, one of the final monarchs to rule (with constitutional oversight) a pre-unified German nation. Physically Ludwig was a mass of contradictions, appearing frail and effeminate on the one hand, and possessing a piercing gaze and standing well over the average height for his time on the other. Intellectually, he was an omnivore and a bit of a dreamer, a man who knew plays and operas by heart, but had little time for statecraft and regarded war as a nuisance that distracted him from the more important task of dreaming.
"The Swan King" follows him from his youth, cosseted in a series of Bavarian mansions and country estates, on into his adulthood, where he took his lavishly appointed, golden-ormolu encased carriage on rides through the towns late at night. He was something of a legend to the local peasants, with whom he felt comfortable and upon whom he showered expensive gifts. He exhausted politicians and political rivals, potential female companions, and was a bit of a tyrant with his domestics and servants. He also ultimately and unfortunately proved to be insane, and depleted his kingdom's coffers trying to bring his visions of fairytale castles and palaces to life throughout Southern Germany.
Eventually he was deposed, and after a short involuntary house arrest, he died under mysterious circumstances. There has been much speculation about the manner of his death (suicide? murder?) as well as his sexuality (latent homosexual? asexual aesthete?) These questions and others are likely to linger as long as the Cult of Ludwig persists. And since our own conception of fairytales and Wagnerian music is very much informed by Ludwig's, we're almost all of us a part of his cult, knowingly or not.
That said, author Christopher McIntosh makes good use of the previously secret or sealed documents at his disposal to clear up some misconceptions and shed light on the darker corners of the Swan King's kingdom. The prose is quietly compelling rather than lively or propulsive, and it naturally can only be so long and so in depth, when more than a century has been spent by the State of Bavaria in repelling all inquiries into the private life of the king, whose reputation they don't want sullied for obvious reasons. That said, the book is well worth the reader's time, and one can't help but ultimately be moved by the sense of romantic doom that pervades the tale of the man who, according to no less a personage than Verlaine, was the last true monarch. Recommended. With photos.
May 19, 2020
I wanted an in-depth look at King Ludwig II and McIntosh certainly delivered on that request!
For its relatively short length, this book is packed with terrific research, figures, and a healthy amount of well-informed guesswork one can expect from a look at a character as mysterious as Ludwig. All this makes for a fine biography. However, one that finds itself, at times, somewhat lost in the minutiae. Some sections where we veered off to gather some necessary historical context were a larger trek than expected, winding and moving the reader through a few time jumps that left me wondering where we started.
Honestly, this served as a terrific companion piece to "Not So Happily Ever After" by Susan Barnett Braun. Braun left the reader with too little detail, while McIntosh provides that in droves.
For its relatively short length, this book is packed with terrific research, figures, and a healthy amount of well-informed guesswork one can expect from a look at a character as mysterious as Ludwig. All this makes for a fine biography. However, one that finds itself, at times, somewhat lost in the minutiae. Some sections where we veered off to gather some necessary historical context were a larger trek than expected, winding and moving the reader through a few time jumps that left me wondering where we started.
Honestly, this served as a terrific companion piece to "Not So Happily Ever After" by Susan Barnett Braun. Braun left the reader with too little detail, while McIntosh provides that in droves.
March 13, 2024
I think it's a shame that this King seems to have gotten his fame almost completely overridden by a completely different figure in World History. I didn't even know all that much about Wagner either besides that some of my colleagues have had to play his music.
As a double-reed player I've never played any Wagner either, myself. I mean, I recognise hearing of Ride of the Valkyries before but I've never been asked to perform it or any of his other pieces. I heard that my undergraduate school's orchestra HAS performed some of his other works before, with some opera singer or another, but I wasn't involved, so I don't know any concrete details.
It says this comes from Tauris Parke Paperbacks, and they say astrologically I am on the cusp of Taurus and Gemini. I think that's a funny coincidence.
Then again, there are no coincidences in this world, are there?
As a double-reed player I've never played any Wagner either, myself. I mean, I recognise hearing of Ride of the Valkyries before but I've never been asked to perform it or any of his other pieces. I heard that my undergraduate school's orchestra HAS performed some of his other works before, with some opera singer or another, but I wasn't involved, so I don't know any concrete details.
It says this comes from Tauris Parke Paperbacks, and they say astrologically I am on the cusp of Taurus and Gemini. I think that's a funny coincidence.
Then again, there are no coincidences in this world, are there?
July 30, 2024
It was an interesting read. There's a lot of information about Ludwig II but I did feel like it was dramatised a bit, especially one of the last meetings between Ludwig and Wagner at the train station. I was disappointed about how short the chapter on his death is. I've read more theories that could have easily been discussed. Some chapters were too long, especially one about Wagner. I sometimes doubted whether I was reading a biography about Ludwig II or about Richard Wagner. It also bothered me that the author wrote "Sissi" instead of "Sisi". The double s is the movie name of the fifties (the wrote the name with double ss to distinguish it from the real story), the singular s is from the real empress. I liked reading the book, but I expected a little more.
August 27, 2018
This was so hard to read, not enough international picture to be a good account of German Unification, not enough personal information to be a good biography. It barely touches on his childhood, takes 75% of the way in to briefly mention his potential homosexuality, spends ten pages on his late paranoia, hardly talks about his postmortem cult of personality, his mentally ill relatives and mysterious death is practically a footnote.
This is not for you if you want to know about either the german states at the time or his life.
This is not for you if you want to know about either the german states at the time or his life.
December 4, 2022
I worried that this was going to read like a drawn-out doctoral dissertation, but I was surprised by how easy this was to read. I picked it up at a book sale only because I had only heard of "crazy King Ludwig" and wondered more about this man. When my family lived in Germany, my dad had taken us to Bavaria on a summer vacation and we visited all four of Ludwig's palaces. I suppose my fond memories of that trip and the impression of those castles (especially Neuschwanstein) simply made me want to know more about this man. The book delivered for me.
April 22, 2020
After my trip to Bavaria, I had to learn more about the enigmatic Ludwig II! This book did a nice job of delving into the main intrigues of his story, and I would’ve given this a higher score except it was pretty heavy on his relationship with Wagner; I did not need that much detail on it. I really enjoyed the last third of the book: getting into questions of his sexuality, mental health, and how he died, as well as his love of the arts and architecture.
February 24, 2023
Really well done and clear on what is his opinion vs the facts. A complete overview of Ludwig’s life in context of the times and its influence on the history of Germany. I have heard there are better accounts, but most of them are in German and not currently available for me to read as an English only speaker.
January 17, 2024
A fine enough biography of Ludwig II of Bavaria. It is a quick and easy read, with some citations for further research. The author has a fairly informal style that sometimes reads more like a pulp or tabloid than a proper biography. However, the subject lends itself well to the style, and the author maintains a grounding in fact, while clearly marking the gossip.
June 14, 2017
This was a very readable and informative resource.
December 15, 2017
The first half of this book was a bit slow but it was really interesting all the same.
March 22, 2020
An enjoyable biography but not really memorable. Nothing new in terms of history but still a nice read.
March 27, 2021
Although the book seems to be a bit shallow, it's nevertheless a Good introduction in English about Ludwig II
February 3, 2024
A little dry, but fascinating piece of history. I would read more of the author's books.
August 30, 2024
🦢 *big sigh*
Read
February 22, 2025i knew what i was getting myself into but that was so sad
July 24, 2014
More reviews available at my blog, Beauty and the Bookworm.
The Swan King is a biography of Ludwig II of Bavaria, the king responsible for the building of fabulous castles such as Neuschwanstein, which supposedly served as the inspiration for the Sleeping Beauty castle at Disneyland in California. Ludwig was a fascinating character, living more in his mind than in the real world, with an obsession for mythology and the music of Wagner. He didn't spend much time in his capital of Munich, instead spending most of his time on the throne traveling between the various castles and palaces of Bavaria and sponsoring Wagner in the arts. He went mad towards the end of his life and eventually died under what seem to be mysterious circumstances, leading to the question of whether he committed suicide or whether he was murdered.
Overall, I really liked this book. I felt the pacing was pretty good, although it did get bogged down in the politics of Germany and Europe in general at a few times. This is hard to avoid in biographies of rulers, though, because so much of their lives does depend on what's happening on the larger world stage. Unfortunately, one of the most interesting documents that MacInstosh could have used, Ludwig's "secret diary," was destroyed during World War II, but he still has lots of letters and such to draw on as documentary evidence.
That said...this book was somewhat lacking in citations, which makes me a little uneasy. Some things, like how Ludwig ordered a bunch of servants to go rob the Rothschild bank in order to finance his castles, seem like they really should have had a citation, ,and yet they don't. The book has 204 pages of biographical content, and about 12 pages of citations at the back, most of which are "Ibid." There's also a lot of "projecting," where McIntosh kind of puts words into Ludwig's mouth via the phrase "must have," which really put me off. As in, "Ludwig must have felt..." "Ludwig must have thought..." and so on. How can you make those claims? There are very rarely quotes or citations surrounding them, and it puts me off somewhat as someone who spent the past four years of her life getting a history degree and citing everything. Also, note that this book is published by a company called "I. B. Taurus and Comopany," not by one of the notable academic presses such as Harvard, Oxford, Princeton, etc. which makes it a bit less reputable in my eyes. Granted, some very academic books can come out of less-known presses, but I'm not entirely sure this was one of them.
Overall, I found this an enjoyable read, but I also would have found it a more trustworthy read if it had been better sourced and cited.
The Swan King is a biography of Ludwig II of Bavaria, the king responsible for the building of fabulous castles such as Neuschwanstein, which supposedly served as the inspiration for the Sleeping Beauty castle at Disneyland in California. Ludwig was a fascinating character, living more in his mind than in the real world, with an obsession for mythology and the music of Wagner. He didn't spend much time in his capital of Munich, instead spending most of his time on the throne traveling between the various castles and palaces of Bavaria and sponsoring Wagner in the arts. He went mad towards the end of his life and eventually died under what seem to be mysterious circumstances, leading to the question of whether he committed suicide or whether he was murdered.
Overall, I really liked this book. I felt the pacing was pretty good, although it did get bogged down in the politics of Germany and Europe in general at a few times. This is hard to avoid in biographies of rulers, though, because so much of their lives does depend on what's happening on the larger world stage. Unfortunately, one of the most interesting documents that MacInstosh could have used, Ludwig's "secret diary," was destroyed during World War II, but he still has lots of letters and such to draw on as documentary evidence.
That said...this book was somewhat lacking in citations, which makes me a little uneasy. Some things, like how Ludwig ordered a bunch of servants to go rob the Rothschild bank in order to finance his castles, seem like they really should have had a citation, ,and yet they don't. The book has 204 pages of biographical content, and about 12 pages of citations at the back, most of which are "Ibid." There's also a lot of "projecting," where McIntosh kind of puts words into Ludwig's mouth via the phrase "must have," which really put me off. As in, "Ludwig must have felt..." "Ludwig must have thought..." and so on. How can you make those claims? There are very rarely quotes or citations surrounding them, and it puts me off somewhat as someone who spent the past four years of her life getting a history degree and citing everything. Also, note that this book is published by a company called "I. B. Taurus and Comopany," not by one of the notable academic presses such as Harvard, Oxford, Princeton, etc. which makes it a bit less reputable in my eyes. Granted, some very academic books can come out of less-known presses, but I'm not entirely sure this was one of them.
Overall, I found this an enjoyable read, but I also would have found it a more trustworthy read if it had been better sourced and cited.
September 17, 2016
Nel complesso è una buona biografia. L'autore cita spesso lettere e diari a supporto di quanto esposto e riesce a dipingere un quadro completo della complessa personalità di questo sovrano. Si perde tuttavia un po' il senso cronologico degli eventi esposti in quanto McIntosh ha scelto di non seguire rigorosamente la successione temporale degli eventi ma di svolgere la trattazione principalmente per "tematiche". Si nota, inoltre, a volte che l'autore riporta con occhio particolarmente indulgente gli aspetti più negativi della vita di Ludwig. Avrei infine preferito un approfondimento del quadro di contorno della vita del re. McIntosh descrive bene il suo rapporto con Wagner (forse fin troppo!) ma tralascia completamente qualsiasi altra relazione e dedica poco spazio anche al contesto storico, sociale e politico della Baviera della seconda metà dell'Ottocento.
April 14, 2016
My knowledge of German history is just a tad above basic. So when I saw Ludwig II this past April, I was captivated by Ludwig, his relationship with Wagner and the entire mythic, cult built around this one king. I, slowly, began looking for books about him and eventually chose this one -because it seemed to be the best one in English.
In short, this book gives a great overview of Ludwig II and his life. The relationship between Ludwig and Wagner fascinates me. It was much more than simple patronage, it was a full-fledged friendship with its fair share of set-backs, upsets, and good times. In addition to Ludwig's relationship with Wagner,Christopher McIntosh expands the reader's view of Ludwig of a person. He debunks or supports certain aspects of the Swan King Myth. He treats all material in a scholarly manner, but in a way that is not hard to read or comprehend.
The main problem/critic of this book are the extensive block quotes. I don't mind an occasional block quote, but I believe McIntosh relies on them too much. He could probably cut quoted text by half.
However other than that this is a great read and a great place to start reading about Ludwig II -one of the most fascinating historical figures out there, in my opinion.
In short, this book gives a great overview of Ludwig II and his life. The relationship between Ludwig and Wagner fascinates me. It was much more than simple patronage, it was a full-fledged friendship with its fair share of set-backs, upsets, and good times. In addition to Ludwig's relationship with Wagner,Christopher McIntosh expands the reader's view of Ludwig of a person. He debunks or supports certain aspects of the Swan King Myth. He treats all material in a scholarly manner, but in a way that is not hard to read or comprehend.
The main problem/critic of this book are the extensive block quotes. I don't mind an occasional block quote, but I believe McIntosh relies on them too much. He could probably cut quoted text by half.
However other than that this is a great read and a great place to start reading about Ludwig II -one of the most fascinating historical figures out there, in my opinion.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews