At each step, Allen is careful to attend not only to the formal qualities of the works in question, but also to
what might be called the “experience” of the work, in all senses of the word.

Philosophy Today

Sustained by an uncommon critical poise and a circumspect conceptual sobriety that allows for both nuance and vigor, Allen excavates the ways in which Adorno's innovative mobilizations of the post-Hegelian dialectic cannot be separated from his rethinking of aesthetics. Allen's new book constitutes a thoughtful contribution to our ongoing reassessment of the specifically aesthetic dimension of Adorno's philosophical project.

Gerhard Richter, Professor of German Studies and Comparative Literature, Brown University, USA and author of Thinking with Adorno: The Uncoercive Gaze

Adorno, Aesthetics, Dissonance is certain to make a distinctive contribution to the most recent literature on Adorno. While many have traced the influences of Kant and Hegel on Adorno's aesthetics, this book definitively shows the equally deep marks made by Adorno's engagement with a host of contemporary composers and writers. Here we find an Adorno developing his thinking about art and society while embedded in the most advanced art of his time.

Tom Huhn, Chair of BFA Visual & Critical Studies and Art History, School of Visual Arts, USA, tomhuhn.com