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 (1780–1860) travels to Vienna to meet bad-boy genius Ludwig van Beethoven. The great composer’s 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. | Sonata Mulattica by Rita Dove, Paperback | Indigo Chapters