Auld Lang Syne

This is a late-life memoir from one of the 19th century's great polymaths, written during a period of enforced rest when Müller's doctor ordered him to stop his relentless scholarly work. Instead of reading or researching, Müller turned inward, producing this evocative portrait of a life shaped by music, literature, and deep personal bonds. He revisits his childhood in Dessau, where musical gatherings at his grandfather's home planted seeds of lifelong passion, and traces his journey through the intellectual circles of Victorian Europe. The book weaves together recollections of composers, poets, and thinkers who crossed his path, creating a meditation on how the people and places of our past continue to resonate within us. Written with the tender clarity of a man contemplating his own legacy, Auld Lang Syne captures both the sweetness and ache of remembering days that will not come again. For readers who appreciate reflective memoirs, intellectual histories, and the gentle melancholy of looking backward on a life fully lived, this book offers a window into Victorian intellectual life through one of its most fascinating minds.