Olivier - Couverture rigide

Ziegler, Philip

Couverture rigide

ISBN 10 : 0857051199 ISBN 13 : 9780857051196

Editeur : MacLehose Press, 2013

A propos du livre

Présentation de l'éditeur

A finalist for the Sheridan Morley Prize that has been called "probably the best Olivier book for general readers” ( Kirkus Reviews), Philip Ziegler's Olivier provides an incredibly accessible and comprehensive portrait of this Hollywood superstar, Oscar-winning director, and one who is considered the greatest stage actor of the twentieth century. The era abounded in great actors—Gielgud, Richardson, Guinness, Burton, O’Toole – but none could challenge Laurence Olivier’s range and power. By the 1940s he had achieved international stardom. His affair with Vivien Leigh led to a marriage as glamorous and as tragic as any in Hollywood history. He was as accomplished a director as he was a leading man: his three Shakespearian adaptations are among the most memorable ever filmed.

And yet, at the height of his fame, he accepted what was no more than an administrator’s wage to become the founding Director of the National Theatre. In 2013 the theatre celebrates its fiftieth anniversary; without Olivier’s leadership it would never have achieved the status that it enjoys today. Off-stage, Olivier was the most extravagant of characters: generous, yet almost insanely jealous of those few contemporaries whom he deemed to be his rivals; charming but with a ferocious temper. With access to more than fifty hours of candid, unpublished interviews, Ziegler ensures that Olivier’s true character—at its most undisguised—shines through as never before.

Revue de presse

'Without adulation, sentimentality and or sneer, layer by layer as the 82 years of Olivier's life flow by Ziegler painstakingly uncovers a portrait of a real man. It is enthralling. I took it on holiday and could hardly bear to finish it ... tremendous' Libby Purves, The Times. (The Times)

'A triumph ... It succeeds, as far as is humanly possible, in bringing alive on the page Olivier's magnetic theatrical presence, which those who saw him act will never forget' John Carey, Sunday Times. (Sunday Times)

'An elegant and increasingly compelling book' Simon Callow, Guardian. (Guardian)

'Philip Ziegler's splendid biography confirms the contention that Lord Olivier OM is as great a figure in the history of the English theatre as David Garrick or Sir Henry Irving' Economist. (Economist)

'Philip's book is the Larry I knew' Tarquin Olivier. (Tarquin Olivier)

À propos de cette édition

• Éditeur: MacLehose Press
• Date d'édition: 2013
• ISBN 10: 0857051199
• ISBN 13: 9780857051196
• Reliure: Relié
• Nombre de pages: 464