{"title":"William Mcbrien","description":"\u003cp\u003eDelve into the captivating works of William Mcbrien, where thrilling mysteries and heart-pounding suspense await. Perfect for fans of gripping narratives and unexpected twists. Start your next adventure here.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"cole-porter-book-william-mcbrien-9780002154956","title":"Cole Porter","description":"The definitive biography of Cole Porter – the urbane American composer of musical comedies and of over 1000 songs – which reveals the darker side of the star whose life and work epitomizes the romance of Café Society.             Cole Porter – composer of Night and Day, Easy to Love and I’ve Got You Under My Skin – is familiar to three generations. His tunes conjure up romance, glamour and cultivated sensuality.             This biography charts Porter’s life, beginning on a fruit farm in Indiana and moving on to Yale, where his social charm and musical gifts earned him leadership of the Glee Club. From Yale he moved to Harvard, where he roomed with Dean Acheson, and on to the School of Music and the Paris Conservatoire to study music theory, history, harmony and counterpoint.             In 1919, Porter married the rich and beautiful Linda Thomas. The pair spent a decade roaming glamorous, bohemian Europe and Porter, sponsored by Irving Berlin among others, experienced the beginnings of success with his songs before making his name in the 1930s with hit shows like Anything Goes. A riding accident left him in constant pain, but he still continued to write shows like Kiss Me Kate and Silk Stockings until his death in 1964.             William McBrien contrasts Porter’s refined, elegant music with the stoicism, pain and passion of a life which mixed devotion to his wife with numerous homosexual love affairs.             Talking to friends and colleagues (for example, Bob Hope, Diana Vreeland, Stephen Sondheim) who have never spoken about him before, McBrien paints a picture of Porter’s sophisticated and unstable world in Europe and America.             Researching Porter’s lyrics and correspondence, McBrien makes new links between his work and life and reveals how Porter’s particular brand of hedonism – nonchalance, lovely pals, glamorous venues, splendid tailoring, good hotels, and love – was his protection against encroaching darkness.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49521822925073,"sku":"GOR001920503","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53474505457937,"sku":"GOR002744904","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53591949574417,"sku":"GOR011458905","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0002154951.jpg?v=1750907131"},{"product_id":"cole-porter-book-william-mcbrien-9780679727927","title":"Cole Porter","description":"In his life and in his music, Cole Porter was the top--the pinnacle of wit and sophistication. From the 1910s through the '50s, from Yale pep rallies through the Broadway triumphs of \u003ci\u003eAnything Goes\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eKiss Me, Kate\u003c\/i\u003e, he delighted audiences with a glittering torrent of song: I Get a Kick Out of You. Night and Day, Love for Sale, and Just One of Those Things. The bright surface of these gems--their catchy melodies and ingenious lyrics--made them instant pop hits. Their more subtle qualities and their musical and emotional depth have made them lasting standards, among the greatest glories of the American songbook. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In\u003ci\u003e Cole Porter\u003c\/i\u003e, William McBrien has thoroughly captured the creator of these songs, whose life was one not only of wealth and privilege but also of tragedy, secrecy, and courage. A prodigal young man, Porter found his aesthetic and emotional anchor in a long, loving, if sexless marriage, while continuing to maintain many discreet affairs with men. In 1937, at the height of his success, he suffered a near-fatal riding accident; his last eighteen years were marked by pain, drugs, and repeated operations on his legs, years of physical agony but unstinting artistic achievement. Here is the book that Porter's fans have long hoped for--a life that informs the great music and lyrics though illuminating glimpses of the hidden, complicated, private man.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49544546255121,"sku":"GOR002150856","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49553166369041,"sku":"GOR002076931","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":49703151960337,"sku":"CIN0679727922VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":49918929862929,"sku":"CIN0679727922G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50061520339217,"sku":"GOR009104491","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ WELL_READ \/ SBYB","offer_id":50357044248849,"sku":"CIN0679727922A","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0679727922.jpg?v=1751454277"},{"product_id":"cole-porter-book-william-mcbrien-9780006375364","title":"Cole Porter","description":"The definitive biography of Cole Porter  the urbane American composer of musical comedies and of over 1000 songs  which reveals the darker side of the star whose life and work epitomizes the romance of Cafe Society.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49551046541585,"sku":"GOR001383754","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49665649934609,"sku":"GOR002133317","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50341948784913,"sku":"CIN0006375367G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":51323499774225,"sku":"CIN0006375367VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ WELL_READ \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51885232390417,"sku":"GOR004633564","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0006375367.jpg?v=1751355145"},{"product_id":"stevie-book-william-mcbrien-9780333426715","title":"Stevie","description":"Stevie Smith, who died in 1971, remains one of the most fascinating and original English literary figures of this century. Her wit and eccentricity have become legend, her personal style was unique, her poems are among the oddest, funniest, and most moving in the language. Her life was so compelling that it became the subject of a play and a film, both starring Glenda Jackson.\u003cbr\u003e In this charming biography, Jack Barbera and William McBrien capture the essence of a remarkable woman and her impact on the literary scene. Drawing on a wealth of private and archival material, much of it previously unknown, they present the fullest and most convincing portrait yet of Stevie Smith's life and work. They depict the unhappiness of her long childhood exile in the hospital with tuberculosis, her father's abandonment of the family, and her mother's early death. And they paint a rich portrait of her adult life, which was spent almost entirely in a genteel North London suburb and shared with a beloved aunt. Although Stevie gained an international following in 1936 with the publication of \u003cem\u003eNovel on Yellow Paper\u003c\/em\u003e, she continued to work for more than 30 years as a secretary in a publishing house. Her writing later ceased to be fashionable but in the 1960s, she enjoyed a new wave of recognition as a performer, broadcaster, and literary reviewer, receiving in 1969 the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry.\u003cbr\u003e Replete with anecdotes from Stevie's friends and excerpts from her work, this biography offers new insights into the charm and paradox of a unique poet as well as into her writings and the world in which she moved.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49647641985297,"sku":"GOR007301376","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ WELL_READ \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50480031760657,"sku":"GOR008071167","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51371940774161,"sku":"GOR006418590","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0333426711.jpg?v=1751356763"},{"product_id":"stevie-book-william-mcbrien-9780434441051","title":"Stevie","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ -","offer_id":51433850110225,"sku":"","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51433850175761,"sku":"GOR004779520","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51488341491985,"sku":"GOR012158235","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0434441058.jpg?v=1751007399"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/collections\/author-books-by-william-mcbrien.oembed","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}