The first full-scale biography in nearly 40 years of Mozart's life, passions, and personality. Based on recently released correspondence from the Mozart family, the book explodes the myth of this musical genius as the 'eternal child' and reveals him as a brilliant impresario. Solomon offers a new theory about the composer's crucial relationship with his exploitative father and how it related to his music. And after solving Mozart's 'Zoroastrian Riddles' for the first time, Solomon examines the wonderfully comic and obscene letters he penned to his cousin and disocvers a long-overlooked love affair.