Franz Schubert: A Biography (Clarendon Paperbacks)

The author may not be especially inspired, but she's very readable, and she takes a straightforward approach to Schubert's life. She discusses the nature of Schubert's "sexual profligacy" and the possibility of his being homosexual without coming down on one side or the other. She believes that Schubert was manic-depressive (and that several other members of his family were as well), and advances some convincing evidence for her view. This is a worthwhile addition to the shelf of Schubert biographies, a shelf that is certain to continue to expand in the bicentenary year of his birth.