Books by Frederic Spotts

This study is a critical analysis of the performances and productions of the operatic festival established by Richard Wagner in 1876. Around this artistic history the book traces the institution's association with nationalism and racism, and its postwar liberation from its anti-semitic past.

The German occupation of France from 1940 to 1945 presented wrenching challenges for the nation's artists and intellectuals. Some were able to flee the country; those who remained, responded in various ways. This book provides a full account of how France's artistic leaders coped under the crushing German presence.

Italy is the world's sixth economic power, lies in a key geopolitical position, and was a founding member of NATO and the European Community. Yet of all the major European states Italy is the least understood and studied. This book provides the only up-to-date survey of the Italian political scene during the forty years since World War II.