Russell Martin (1) (1952–)

On May 11th, 1937, only two weeks after the insurgent Nazi Condor Legion bombed Guernica, Spain, Pablo Picasso commenced painting his famous masterpiece. While Picasso's War celebrates Picasso's work of art, "Guernica," it also paints a biography of Picasso, the passionately flawed man. Picasso who couldn't stay faithful to one woman; Picasso who saved everything ever given to him. As a painter, his art was as polarizing as cilantro. In 1981 the famous painting still had to be protected from show more terrorists with armed guards.
Coincidentally, Martin was standing in from of "Guernica" on September 11th, 2001.
The biggest surprise for me was learning of Herbert Southworth, an unsung hero of the Guernica saga. He had a clerical job at the Library of Congress and he was convinced he could get to the bottom of who actually bombed Guernica. Despite denials, he needed to convince the American public of Franco's threat to Democracy. show less

Shortly after the composer died, a visitor clipped a lock of hair for souvenirs. They survived to the present day and the snipped hairs were recently analyzed for telltale chemicals and genetic disorders. It was interesting C.S.I.-type forensics stuff.

But my daughters saw it differently. They caught me reading this book a couple years ago. "You're reading a book about Beethoven's hair?!" they howled. "His HAIR??!"

Of course they read magazines about celebrity hair all the time. But that's show more younger hair, I suppose. And Beethoven didn't have the most attractive 'do even when he was still aware of it. Needless to say, Beethoven's Hair curls into the conversation whenever my daughters want to chide me on my reading interests. "That's right, Angie. He reads books about Beethoven's hair." show less

I just have to re-read this! I remember it the first time, with all the myriad details and events and even the revelation of anti-Semitism burgeoning during the early 1800's.

The journey this hair made, the personal recollections that Hiller brings to Beethoven's demeanor and character, are just extraordinary. I grew up with a father who was in awe of Beethoven's ability and majesty, and that certainly rubbed off on me. I had forgotten how long it took the French musical community, my beloved show more French Romantics, to embrace his music as acceptable.

If one is a fan of whodunits, of what a detective does on the streets, even if you're not musically inclined, I would highly recommend this book. Or someone who is interested in the Holocaust; there is a bit of unknown history woven into the story of this lock of hair.

And of course, those of us who love Beethoven and his music will refer to it many, many times.. show less

A lock of hair was cut from Beethoven's corpse by a young student. It was preserved in a locket and handed down from father to son to daughter. The book traces the journey of this locket as it travels from Germany to Denmark where it was given to a Doctor aiding Jews fleeing Hitler. the daughter of that doctor eventually had to sell it and it wound up in the hands of two Americans. Both of whom held Beethoven in great esteem. The hair was tested and found to have massive amounts of lead show more which could account for Beethoven's many ailments even including his hearing loss. It's a fascinating journey and brings Beethoven's life together with modern history up to the present. show less