Detailing the volatile relationship between the black violinist George Bridgetower and Beethoven, this is a “masterful collection” (Los Angeles Times).

The son of a white woman and an African Prince, George Polgreen Bridgetower (17801860) travels to Vienna to meet bad-boy genius Ludwig van Beethoven. The great composers subsequent sonata is originally dedicated to the young mulatto, but George, exuberant with acclaim, offends Beethoven over a woman. From this crucial encounter evolves a grandiose yet melancholy poetic tale. A New Yorker’s A Year’s Reading; Booklist Editors Choice Award.

About the Author

Rita Dove, Pulitzer Prize winner and former U.S. Poet Laureate, is the only poet honored with both the National Humanities Medal and the National Medal of Arts. Her recent works includePlaylist for the Apocalypse,Sonata Mulattica, and the National Book AwardshortlistedCollected Poems: 19742004. In 2021 she was awarded the Gold Medal for Poetry from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. She lives in Charlottesville, where she is the Commonwealth Professor of English at the University of Virginia.

• Language : English
• Paperback : 240 pages
• ISBN-13 : 978-0393338935
• Item Weight : 8.1 ounces
• Dimensions : 5.6 x 0.7 x 8.3 inches