Beethoven Variations by Ruth Padel #Shearsman A physical relic or a

A physical relic or a mark on the landscape seems briefly to offer a portal

informative

 Observer

perhaps someone from the Department of Social Services

He negotiates with intensity and wit between a deep sense of human universals and a heartfelt fidelity to individual places

Beethoven Variations by Ruth Padel #Shearsman A physical relic or aTwo hundred and fifty years since Beethoven was born, Ruth Padel goes on a personal search for him, retracing his steps through war torn Europe of the early nineteenth century, delving into his music, letters, diaries and the conversation books he used when deaf, to uncover the man behind the legend. Her quest, exploring the life of one of the most creative artists who ever lived, turns more personal than she expects, taking her into the sources of