Synopses & Reviews
An elegant reimagining of the life of Alma Mahler, the lovely, aristocratic fin-de-siècle composer who abandoned her own art to become the inspiration and collector of geniuses.
At the turn of the century, the most beautiful girl in Vienna stood at the threshold of a promising musical career. But instead, she turned her considerable talents to becoming a freelance muse. Passionate, fickle, brilliant, and alcoholic, she conquered a series of difficult geniuses, including the composer Gustav Mahler (whom she sent to Freud for marriage counseling); the architect Walter Gropius, who went on to found the Bauhaus movement; the writer Franz Werfel, author of The Song of Bernadette; and the revolutionary painters Gustav Klimt and Oskar Kokoschka.
Deftly blending period detail and modern sensibility, Max Phillips presents the bold, unapologetic Alma, who narrates her own provocative story, bringing to life the luminaries of her era as she tells of her triumphs in the fading elegance of Central Europes beau monde, her flight from Hitlers Anschluss, and her exile in golden-age Hollywood. A glittering, darkly sensual novel, The Artists Wife turns the lens of history upon the nature of inspiration, ambition, and love.
Review
"Phillips's novel is narrated from inside the selfish, mean, witty head of Alma Mahler (1879-1964), who married, in succession, Gustav Mahler, Walter Gropius and Franz Werfel, when not playing around with Oskar Kokoschka, and outlived just about everybody." New York Times, Notable Books 2001
Synopsis
Alma Mahler gives up a promising musical career to become a freelance muse as she conquers a series of difficult geniuses. A glittering, darkly sensual novel, "The Artist's Wife" turns the lens of history upon inspiration, ambition, and love.
About the Author
Max Phillips is the author of the highly acclaimed novel Snakebite Sonnet. His fiction and poetry have appeared in The Atlantic Monthly, The Village Voice, and The Threepenny Review. He lives in New York City.