The Life and Many Deaths of Harry Houdini by Ruth Brandon

The Life and Many Deaths of Harry Houdini by Ruth Brandon

More than 60 years after his death, the deeds of the escapologist Harry Houdini still inspire imitators and ad-men. The common perception of Houdini is of a small man, manacled, jumping off a bridge into icy water, suspended from a skyscraper or emerging from a sealed coffin. His tricks were very clever and effective, but the author of this book argues that the man himself was far more interesting than the tricks. The book examines the phenomenon of fame - what it is that compels a man to perform acts of near-suicidal bravado to gain public acclaim, and what it is that draws vast crowds of people to watch. It considers the nature of a man whom the author believes was probably sexually repressed, and yet performed almost naked, draped in chains and manacles, who wrote love letters to his wife five times a day, and who struggled obsessively for years to prove or disprove the existence of life after death. Ruth Brandon argues that it is in his death that the key to Houdini's life and success is to be found. She claims that, more complex than just a small man triumphing against the odds, his escapes can be read as a drama of death and resurrection. Brandon's other books include "The New Women and the Old Men" and an autobiography of Sarah Berhardt, "Being Divine".

SKU	Non disponible
ISBN 13	9780749318826
ISBN 10	0749318821
Titre	The Life and Many Deaths of Harry Houdini
Auteur	Ruth Brandon
État	Non disponible
Type de reliure	Hardback
Éditeur	Cornerstone
Année de publication	1994-10-17
Nombre de pages	365
Note de couverture	La photo du livre est présentée à titre d'illustration uniquement. La reliure, la couverture ou l'édition réelle peuvent varier.
Note	Non disponible