|
|
|
1.
|
|
Too many rock books - - particularly those about the recently, luridly dead - - are hastily assembled from clippings and feature only the most superficial assessment of the artist and music in question. It's a pleasure to report, then, that veteran music journalist Christopher Sandford has produced a solidly researched and coherently argued portrait of Nirvana's front man. The author doesn't flinch from the ugly aspects of Kurt Cobain's personality and lifestyle, nor is he wholly admiring of the music. This critical perspective ultimately makes Cobain more human and his 1994 suicide more tragic....
|
|
2.
|
|
This dramatic account weaves together the rich and complex life of the celebrated and controversial film director, Holocaust survivor, and exile, based on a wealth of sources and new material. New revelations about Polanski's life include: - The connection between his mother’s death in Auschwitz and wife Sharon Tate’s murder by the Manson family—both women were pregnant
- His radical transition from childhood poverty in a Krakow ghetto to a glamorous Hollywood life among socialites
- The psychological complexity and central thread of sexuality that runs throughout his films and his relationships with younger women
- A culmination of tragedies in Polanski’s life, from the Holocaust to the Manson murders to his sexual assault charges and subsequent exile from the U.S.
- The unique humor of the “rascal genius” that keeps the world watching and awaiting his new projects
Acclaimed biographer Sandford draws on dozens of interviews with actors who have worked with Polanski, as well as previously sealed transcripts of his criminal hearings, testimony before the California grand jury following the accusations that led to his exile, and personal reflections on the murders of Sharon Tate and other friends of the couple. Polanski’s films from 1962 to 2005 are contextualized within his life, including such highlights as Rosemary’s Baby, Chinatown, and the Oscar-winning The Pianist. Roman Polanski turns 75 in 2008, and his work, with two upcoming feature films including the political thriller Ghost, continues to receive more and more attention. Sandford's fascinating biography illuminates the life and work of one of the most important careers in modern cinema. ...
|
|
3.
|
|
The definitive biography of Imran Khan, the former Pakistan cricket captain and all-rounder—the Oxbridge graduate and vociferous campaigner; the devout Muslim whose kaleidoscopic social life flooded the gossip columns; the man who raised $60 million for cancer research and who is now one of the most important political figures in Pakistan. On one thing, Imran Khan's friends and enemies agree: it all began with the leopard print satin trousers. In November 1974, the Cricketer International published an article about the new elite group of young talented players, "into concepts like fashion and pop music," and bent on challenging cricket's eternal stereotypes. Of the five featured stars on the cover, a superbly hirsute 21-year-old wearing a tight black shirt and gaudy trousers, with a facial expression of supreme self-confidence, stood out. Imran Khan has always been a controversial figure, a man who gives rise to hot debate on account of his strong conviction and hard line views. From his achievements on the cricket field as the Pakistan captain who captured the World Cup and the game's best all-rounder in history, through to his racy social life—the practicing Muslim boogieing on the dancefloor of Annabel's; an "astonishing lovemaker," according to one overnight partner; praised by Diana Princess of Wales, close friend to his then wife Jemima Goldsmith, as a "devoted husband"—the Imran story is full of color and contradictions. Acclaimed biographer Christopher Sandford has approached a richly varied cast list of Imran associates past and present—from Geoff Boycott, Javed Miandad, Mike Brearley, David Gower, and John Major through to Nelson Mandela and close acquaintances such as Eric Clapton, Mick Jagger, John Major, Keith Richards, sources close to the late Princess of Wales, and Pakistan's General Musharraf. Imran Khan himself and his ex-wife Jemima have agreed to be interviewed for the book and given Sandford exclusive access to Imran's inner sanctum. ...
|
|
