Providing an overall account of the history of the Wagner festival, a critical analysis of its performers, productions, and enthusiasts establishes its remarkable beginnings, controversial associations, and surprising successes

A reassessment of Hitler's goals and motivations demonstrates how he thought of himself more as an artist than a politician, noting his ability to promote German national pride and citing his inluence on the period's artistic development.

Italy is the world's sixth economic power, lies in a key geopolitical position, and was a founding member of NATO and the European Community. Yet of all the major European states Italy is the least understood and studied. This book provides the only up-to-date survey of the Italian political scene during the forty years since World War II. It describes the inner-dynamics of the political parties, the day-to-day functioning of the governing institutions, and the interaction of the country's economic, social, and political life. It shows how a political system, riven with difficulties and seemingly in a continual crisis, survives and prospers - in some ways more successfully than its purportedly better-governed neighbours. Based on the authors' first-hand observations of Italian politics, the book offers a valuable insight into a subtle and complex, but fascinating political world.

600 letters written by the literary and political man reveal a wide range of interests as well as revealing his personality and life as well as those he addresses

Product Description: The German occupation of France from 1940 to 1945 presented wrenching challenges for the nation’s artists and intellectuals. Some were able to flee the country; those who remained—including Gide and Céline, Picasso and Matisse, Cortot and Messiaen, and Cocteau and Gabin—responded in various ways...read more