About the Book

“Power is the morality of outstanding men, and it is my morality too,” wrote Ludwig van Beethoven. Beethoven lived up to his own words, making himself into one of the world’s most respected composers by sheer force of talent and ambition. A child prodigy, he became a fiercely independent and respected creative artist. When he died at 56, an estimated 20,000 mourners attended his funeral.

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Edmund Morris is one of America’s most distinguished biographers. His account of Beethoven’s life is a study of genius in action. Morris deftly summarizes the latest scholarship, as well as insights gleaned from his own long-term study of Beethoven. The result is a dazzling overview of Beethoven as a person and a composer, in a concise volume that will be treasured by everyone who has been touched by his music.

Beethoven is part of the Eminent Lives series, in which a culturally and historically prominent figure is paired with a uniquely excellent writer.

Edmund Morris was born in Kenya, and lived in Britain until 1968, when he immigrated to the United States. His biographies The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt (which won the Pulitzer Prize); Dutch: A Memoir of Ronald Reagan; and Theodore Rex have all been national bestsellers. He has also written on biography, literature and music for the New Yorker, Harper’s, the New York Times and other publications. Morris is a pianist and a life-long lover of classical music.

“This book is a perfect marriage — or should one say, duet — of subject and author, every word as masterly as the notes of the artist it illuminates.” — Christopher Buckley, Forbes

Critical Praise

“Morris clearly admires his subject not only for the work but also for his constant fight against the odds, and he has written an ideal biography for the general reader.” — Publishers Weekly

“Vivid...Morris deftly sorts his way through Beethoven’s biography.” — New York Times Book Review

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Product Details

• ISBN: 9780060759759
• ISBN 10: 0060759755
• Imprint: Harper Perennial
• On Sale: 02/09/2010
• Trimsize: 5.310 in (w) x 8.000 in (h) x 0.580 in (d)
• Pages: 256
• List Price: $17.99
• BISAC1 : MUSIC / General
• BISAC2 : MUSIC / Instruction & Study / General
• BISAC3 : MUSIC / Individual Composer & Musician
• BISAC4 : BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / General
• BISAC5 : BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Artists, Architects, Photographers