Have you ever had a conversation with a mask—yes, don’t be surprised—with a mask of Ludwig van Beethoven? But old lady Kiki, the heroine of Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt’s new story “Kiki van Beethoven,” does not just talk to an image bought at a flea market. After a series of funny and sad events, she eventually begins to hear the composer's music. Faded feelings and half-forgotten secrets are resurrected. Kiki and her friends learn the great lesson of the deaf genius - the lesson of joy. Schmitt masterfully mixes humor and tenderness. However, this is not only a tribute to the great humanist composer, who defended the highest destiny of man. The writer prefaces the story with the essay “Just think: Beethoven died, but so many cretins are alive...”, where he reflects on the role Beethoven’s music played in his own life, on how great art can transform everyday life. The book is accompanied by a disc with works Beethoven, selected by E.-E. Schmitt.