Stefan Müller-Doohm's extensive biography, based on years of research and archival studies, remains the only comprehensive account of the life and work of one of the defining intellectuals of the 20th century. From a sheltered childhood in Frankfurt to the experiences of exile, from the Frankfurt School and the Institute for Social Research to the events of 1968, the biography traces the milestones of Adorno's life and intertwines them with his central themes: new music and aesthetics, sociology and philosophy, literature, politics, and the culture industry, to name just a few key topics. The biography, first published in 2003 to mark Theodor W. Adorno's 100th birthday, is not only a thoroughly researched logbook of Adorno's life and work but also reads like an intellectual inventory of the 20th century.