The first comprehensive biography of Kirsten Flagstad, based on numerous previously unpublished sources and documents. A story of triumph and tragedy: Kirsten Flagstad (1895-1962), a shy and headstrong Norwegian singer, became famous overnight and was celebrated as the foremost interpreter of Wagner. She revived global interest in Richard Wagner's operas. During and after World War II, she was unjustly accused of harboring sympathies for the Nazis. These rumors originated from senior officials in the Norwegian Foreign Ministry and marked the beginning of a political smear campaign. Every performance was accompanied by protests, her assets were confiscated, and the singer had to live under police protection. Ingeborg Solbrekken has, for the first time in her Flagstad biography, researched the exact political background of this unprecedented political conspiracy and chronicled the dramatic life of a fascinating exceptional artist.