Wallenstein

In this great German biography, the spirit of science and the spirit of narrative have uniquely allied. Golo Mann tells a story in which countless memorable tales are woven, the story of a life full of splendour and frailty, full of contradiction and late-resolved mysteries; he also tells the story of a time rich in dark and impressive figures, a wild and hopeless time. Wallenstein is the protagonist and the victim. The stage on which he stands and acts is Europe. His actions, hesitations and failures, his character are sensitively explored and ravishingly portrayed - Golo Mann, who published his first Wallenstein essay as early as 1934, always precedes the narrator, checks documents and data, taps unknown sources, quotes and compares, uncovers reality and truth, measures and illustrates.