Description
Book SynopsisThe 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.
Table of ContentsPreface The Northern Apollo Reborn The Captive Years From Cage to Throne The Coming of the Friend The Second Lola A Triumph, an Idyll and a Parting Germany in Turmoil Sophie Lilla...and Others Wagnerian Strains A Crucial Decade 1866-1876 Fantasies in Stone Dreams of El Dorado Ludwig II and the Theatre Forbidden Longings Farewell to Wagner The Twilight Years The Trap Closes Prophecies Fulfilled Epilogue: The Cult of the Swan King
