Richard Wagner
Richard Wagner (1813-1883) who regarded himself as “the most German of men“, “the German spirit” is not only known because of his 13 operas and numerous other compositions but also because of his inevitable influence on our understanding of German culture and history. He has been classified as an anarchist and a socialist and, simultaneously, as a proto-fascist and nationalist, as a vegetarian and an antisemite… In fact, his name has appeared in connection to almost all major trends in German history of the 19th and 20th centuries.
Besides his activity as a composer and a librettist Wagner wrote an astonishing number of books and articles, in fact about 230 titles. The literary spectrum ranges from theories of opera to political programs. [...] In addition to these activities Wagner wrote about 10.000 letters.
Richard Wagner is undoubtedly one of the leading figures of the 19th century. Already at his time, he was a source of debate and controversy. When Wagner died in 1883, over 10.000 books and articles were already written about him.
From Richard Wagner Archive - http://users.utu.fi/hansalmi/wagner.html
