Sinatra:: The Artist and the Man

by John Lahr

"I am a symmetrical man, almost to a fault," Frank Sinatra once said. It is a peculiar statement, because Sinatra is precisely asymmetrical. How to reconcile the enchanting crooner and the explosive bully? What to make of the smooth tones of his voice and the rough edges of his persona? To find the true correspondence between the public and the private Sinatra, the artist and the man, is no easy task. John Lahr, drama critic for The New Yorker and one of the finest writers on the performing arts working today, has done just this in The Artist and the Man

Lahr traces the trajectory of the "solitary latchkey kid" from Hoboken, New Jersey, into the stratosphere of fame. Sinatra kept company with presidents and mobsters; he kept up the front of a happy family life for as long as he could and then took up with the most desired women in the world--Ava Gardner, Lauren Bacall, Anita Ekberg, Marilyn Monroe, and many, many more. He led a life of manic gregariousness, yet spoke to the romance and loneliness of the "wee small hours of the morning." He desperately needed to exist within the gaze of the audience but at the same time would express aloofness toward his fans, saying he was happiest "when I'm onstage all by myself with an orchestra and nobody to bug me."

The Artist and the Man also examines the miracle of Sinatra's return--much of what is marvelous about Sinatra today is that we know who he is at all, so far did he fall in the late forties. Sinatra came back with a vengeance as Angelo Maggio in From Here to Eternity , a heartfelt and brilliantly comic performance that won him an Academy Award. At the same time, he reclaimed control of the recording studio and, with the help of an ingenious arranger named Nelson Riddle, perfected the swinging sound of his mature years. Sinatra then proceeded to build a media empire that has been the standard by which all other stars have measured their success. The artist and the Sinatra epitomized control and he raged uncontrollably, destroying friendships, love affairs, and a plate-glass window or two; he won fans around the world across three generations, created an unparalleled body of recorded work, and almost single-handedly invented the postwar American swagger and "the image," Lahr writes, "of perfect individualism."

Sinatra's life and art happen to be extremely well documented in photographs--from Weegee's hilarious pictures of bobby-soxer hysteria at New York's Paramount Theatre to William Read Woodfield's definitive and rare "Chairman of the Board" images. The Artist and the Man collects one hundred of the best photographs ever taken of Sinatra (some never before published)--representing his film work, the special intensity of his recording sessions, and the many swinging nights of this complex and fascinating man.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Biography Memoir, Biography

156 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

John Lahr is the senior drama critic of The New Yorker, where he has written about theatre and popular culture since 1992. Among his eighteen books are Notes on a Cowardly Lion: The Biography of Bert Lahr and Prick Up Your Ears: The Biography of Joe Orton, which was made into a film.

He has twice won the George Jean Nathan Award for Dramatic Criticism. Lahr, whose stage adaptations have been performed around the world, received a Tony Award for co-writing Elaine Stritch at Liberty.

He divides his time between London and New York.

Reviews

[Fredrik Karlsson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Den här essän är anledningen till att man älskar att handla böcker på loppisar. En kort bok med en specifik vinkel på Frank Sinatras liv. Författaren kommer till slutsatser och tolkningar om sinatras artistpersona och privatliv, byggda på intervjuer.

Hittar ni den, köp den!!!

[Michael Romick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great pictures, but this book does not offer much in ways of insight into the man.

[Ståhlemannen · Rating 4 out of 5]

På svenska.

Trevlig läsning.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sinatra was a complex man, and this book, in the form of a photo essay, takes a long, hard look at this brilliant performer. Sinatra was a tough guy/sentamentalist/loyal friend/formidable enemy/one of a kind singer. And Lahr's book conveys all these sides (and more) of Sinatra.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

This fabulous biography dispels the myths about the man we all recognize and feel we know. Sinatra's personal life is far from admirable, but Lahr points out that the emotional weaknesses of the singer may have been integral to his peerless interpretations of popular song. A masterful book.

[Marianne Ogden · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like Sinatra, here is a good coffee table book for you. The reading is interesting and the black and white photos are excellent.

[Moses · Rating 3 out of 5]

great little time capsule

[John Devlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A strong work that attempts to depict and demonstrate some of the Sinatra musical magic.

[Maziyar pahlevan]

perfect...