Letter from America 1946-2004 - Couverture souple

Cooke, Alistair

Couverture souple

ISBN 10 : 0713998849 ISBN 13 : 9780713998849

Editeur : Allen Lane, 2005

A propos du livre

Présentation de l'éditeur :

For over half a century, Alistair Cooke entertained and informed millions of listeners around the world in his weekly BBC radio program Letter from America. An outstanding observer of the American scene, he became one of the world’s best-loved broadcasters, and a foreigner who helped Americans better understand themselves.

Here, in print for the first time, is a collection of Cooke’s finest reports that celebrates the inimitable style of this wise and avuncular reporter. Beginning with his first letter in 1946, a powerful description of American GIs returning home, and ending with his last broadcast in February 2004, in which he expressed his views on the United States presidential campaign, the collection captures Cooke’s unique voice and gift for telling stories.

Gathered in this volume are encounters with the many presidents Cooke knew, from Roosevelt to Nixon, Reagan, Clinton, and Bush, both Senior and Junior. His friends are warmly recollected–among them Leonard Bernstein, Philip Larkin, Humphrey Bogart, Charlie Chaplin, and Katharine Hepburn. We observe a variety of political landmarks–the Vietnam War, Watergate, Cooke’s remarkable eyewitness account of Robert Kennedy’s assassination, through to the scandals that surrounded Clinton and the conflict in Iraq. His moving evocation of the events of September 11 and its aftermath remains essential reading, while his recollections of holidays and sporting events remind us of Cooke’s delight in the pleasures of everyday life.

Imbued with Alistair Cooke’s good humor, elegance, and understanding, Letter from America, 1946—2004 is a captivating insight into the heart of a nation and a fitting tribute to the man who was for so many the most reassuring voice of our times.

Présentation de l'éditeur :

Alistair Cooke was a radio legend, entertaining millions of listeners for over fifty years in his weekly Letter from America. It was the longest-running one-man series in radio history, and every show was a virtuoso performance. Wise and witty, informed yet informal, Cooke was the doyen of foreign correspondents. To correspond with the 2008 election, and the centenary of Alistair Cooke’s birth, here are five Letters about previous presidents and their elections over the past sixty years, in which Cooke – one of the world’s most famous letter writers and radio’s greatest observer – reflects on American life and politics. Starting with Truman’s surprise victory in 1948 and concluding with another surprise win, that of George W. Bush in 2000 – he comments on opinion polls, democracy, the difference between Democrats and Republicans, Bill Clinton’s fashion sense and what Clinton’s symbolic rejection of ‘the blue blazer’ meant to the American political system. In each Letter, his unique style of expression and analysis shines through. The Letters are introduced by the BBC’s North America editor, Justin Webb, who sets them in their historical context and reflects on what has changed since Cooke’s original broadcasts and what has not. 'Cooke's debonaire, transatlantic tones are unmistakable...' - FT Magazine.

1 CD. 1 hr 17 mins.

À propos de cette édition

• Éditeur: Allen Lane
• Date d'édition: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0713998849
• ISBN 13: 9780713998849
• Reliure: Broché
• Nombre de pages: 500