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Orson Wells: The Road to Xanadu - Hardcover

 
9780670867226: Orson Wells: The Road to Xanadu
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The first of a comprehensive, two-volume biography traces Welles's portentous childhood, his youth in New York, where he worked with director John Houseman, his notorious radio career, and the making of Citizen Kane. 25,000 first printing. Tour.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

Review:
Now in paperback, Callow's vastly entertaining chronicle of Welles's first 26 years seems even finer than it did in 1995. The author's ability to skewer his subject's evasions and lies while retaining critical affection for him is perhaps explained by the fact that Callow, an actor himself, understands the need to mythologise. Welles's innovative theatrical work in the 1930s has never been better described or analysed. Even such oft-told sagas as the War of the Worlds broadcast and the filming of Citizen Kane gain new dimension from Callow's intelligent treatment. --Christine Buttery
Review:
This riveting, revealing portrait of the legendary director and star is aeunlikely to be surpassed.ae ("Los Angeles Times Book Review") A wonderfully readable, sharp, shrewd and evenhanded biography... Callow is a witty and feeling biographer. ("Chicago Tribune") Callow is in control all the way. ("The New York Times Book Review," front page)"

A splendidly entertaining, definitive work.
" Entertainment Weekly"
This riveting, revealing portrait of the legendary director and star is unlikely to be surpassed.
" Los Angeles Times Book Review"
A wonderfully readable, sharp, shrewd and evenhanded biography . . . Callow is a witty and feeling biographer.
" Chicago Tribune"
Callow is in control all the way.
" The New York Times Book Review"
""
With a keen attention to detail, he brings Welles back to life for us, and brings to his portrait the critical skill of extrapolating the artist s personality form his work.
" The Wall Street Journal"
Simon Callow s tumultuous, riveting, and admirably researched biography . . . has the energy of revelation.
" The Boston Globe"
Callow touches nothing without leaving huge fingerprints of his charm, wit and superbly encompassing mind, quite equal to the wit and invention of Welles himself . . . . This is a feast whose every course is flavored with humanity and superfine intelligence.
" The Philadelphia Inquirer"
Brilliant. . . . Other accounts of the boy wonder from Wisconsin are now rendered obsolete by Simon Callow s massive "The Road to Xanadu." . . . [Callow] has outperformed every previous biographer in the arena of research.
" Fort Worth Star Telegram"
Exceptionally perceptive . . . not only enormously entertaining but also hugely informative. . . . Callow has us hungering for more.
"San Jose Mercury News"
[Callow] excels at what must have been his most frustrating task: analyzing theater work he could not see for himself. The book expertly evokes Welles s wildly-inventive productions. . . . As Callow meticulously shows, George Orson Welles knew acclaim and misuse from early childhood.
" Time"
Easily the best Welles biography. . . . Callow s expertise as actor and director gives his accounts of Welles s work a unique authenticity.
" Newsweek"
A brilliant biography, which builds on the research of its predecessors while judiciously taking the measure of this human tornado, bringing him down to earth. . . . Callow is a whiz . . . because he has a sharp-tongued, fearlessly judgmental, epigrammatic style that cuts through dithering.
" Newsday"
Welles might seem a difficult subject for a new biography. The legend is already pretty much written in stone. Callow s achievement is threefold: he embraces his subject with such gallumphing energy that the extraordinary power of his subject is conveyed as if for the first, fascinated time; he attempts a sober reassessment, trying to get an honest measure of someone who seemed larger than life without in any petty way cutting him down to size; and he provides a genuinely interesting actor s view of the actor. . . . It is this which makes "The Road to Xanadu "feel, improbably, like a fresh journey rather than another weary, ironic retreading of the route.
" The Times" (London)
A knock-down, brass-bound, copper-bottomed triumph. It is a big, fat book and it is tremendous fun to read. . . . Callow s style has much in common with his acting: the text is full-bodied, rich, fruity and dense. . . . It is Simon Callow s triumph that at the end of this book Orson Welles comes before us just as Oscar Wilde did at the end of Richard Ellmann's superb biography a towering figure, laughing . . . so generous, so amusing, and so right.
" Daily Telegraph"
In this monumental two-part work . . . Welles at last has a life to match his bulk. Callow confirms the old truism that it takes one to know one. Himself a man of the theater, he has the literary craft, too, to make an imaginative leap into Orson Welles s psyche, inhabit his life, not simply chronicle it. It is the best book I have read that explains a fabulous figure in terms of the reality of his own life.
" Evening Standard"
The book is a miracle of research, and Mr. Callow writes well and with a miss-nothing intelligence. Welles is brought vividly to life; we hear and see him. It is an important book; it has resonance, it contains worlds; it satisfies.
" The Irish Times"
A superbly wrought, aesthetically and psychologically acute portrait of Welles s sheer, undisciplined genius. . . . Not since Francois Truffaut s book of Hitchcock has an arts biographer possessed such a professional and intuitive understanding of his subject . . . all accomplished in a highly literate, epigrammatic style that makes this biography a sumptuous pleasure to read
" Kirkus Reviews"
Himself a protean, larger-than-life character, Simon Callow is uniquely qualified to plumb the depths of Orson Welles. As a mere writer, it pains me to admit that it has taken an actor to produce one of the finest thespian biographies of recent years.
Anthony Holden, author of "Laurence Olivier""

A splendidly entertaining, definitive work.
Entertainment Weekly
This riveting, revealing portrait of the legendary director and star is unlikely to be surpassed.
Los Angeles Times Book Review
A wonderfully readable, sharp, shrewd and evenhanded biography . . . Callow is a witty and feeling biographer.
Chicago Tribune
Callow is in control all the way.
The New York Times Book Review

With a keen attention to detail, he brings Welles back to life for us, and brings to his portrait the critical skill of extrapolating the artist s personality form his work.
The Wall Street Journal
Simon Callow s tumultuous, riveting, and admirably researched biography . . . has the energy of revelation.
The Boston Globe
Callow touches nothing without leaving huge fingerprints of his charm, wit and superbly encompassing mind, quite equal to the wit and invention of Welles himself . . . . This is a feast whose every course is flavored with humanity and superfine intelligence.
The Philadelphia Inquirer
Brilliant. . . . Other accounts of the boy wonder from Wisconsin are now rendered obsolete by Simon Callow s massive The Road to Xanadu. . . . [Callow] has outperformed every previous biographer in the arena of research.
Fort Worth Star Telegram
Exceptionally perceptive . . . not only enormously entertaining but also hugely informative. . . . Callow has us hungering for more.
San Jose Mercury News
[Callow] excels at what must have been his most frustrating task: analyzing theater work he could not see for himself. The book expertly evokes Welles s wildly-inventive productions. . . . As Callow meticulously shows, George Orson Welles knew acclaim and misuse from early childhood.
Time
Easily the best Welles biography. . . . Callow s expertise as actor and director gives his accounts of Welles s work a unique authenticity.
Newsweek
A brilliant biography, which builds on the research of its predecessors while judiciously taking the measure of this human tornado, bringing him down to earth. . . . Callow is a whiz . . . because he has a sharp-tongued, fearlessly judgmental, epigrammatic style that cuts through dithering.
Newsday
Welles might seem a difficult subject for a new biography. The legend is already pretty much written in stone. Callow s achievement is threefold: he embraces his subject with such gallumphing energy that the extraordinary power of his subject is conveyed as if for the first, fascinated time; he attempts a sober reassessment, trying to get an honest measure of someone who seemed larger than life without in any petty way cutting him down to size; and he provides a genuinely interesting actor s view of the actor. . . . It is this which makes The Road to Xanadu feel, improbably, like a fresh journey rather than another weary, ironic retreading of the route.
The Times (London)
A knock-down, brass-bound, copper-bottomed triumph. It is a big, fat book and it is tremendous fun to read. . . . Callow s style has much in common with his acting: the text is full-bodied, rich, fruity and dense. . . . It is Simon Callow s triumph that at the end of this book Orson Welles comes before us just as Oscar Wilde did at the end of Richard Ellmann's superb biography a towering figure, laughing . . . so generous, so amusing, and so right.
Daily Telegraph
In this monumental two-part work . . . Welles at last has a life to match his bulk. Callow confirms the old truism that it takes one to know one. Himself a man of the theater, he has the literary craft, too, to make an imaginative leap into Orson Welles s psyche, inhabit his life, not simply chronicle it. It is the best book I have read that explains a fabulous figure in terms of the reality of his own life.
Evening Standard
The book is a miracle of research, and Mr. Callow writes well and with a miss-nothing intelligence. Welles is brought vividly to life; we hear and see him. It is an important book; it has resonance, it contains worlds; it satisfies.
The Irish Times
A superbly wrought, aesthetically and psychologically acute portrait of Welles s sheer, undisciplined genius. . . . Not since Francois Truffaut s book of Hitchcock has an arts biographer possessed such a professional and intuitive understanding of his subject . . . all accomplished in a highly literate, epigrammatic style that makes this biography a sumptuous pleasure to read
Kirkus Reviews
Himself a protean, larger-than-life character, Simon Callow is uniquely qualified to plumb the depths of Orson Welles. As a mere writer, it pains me to admit that it has taken an actor to produce one of the finest thespian biographies of recent years.
Anthony Holden, author of Laurence Olivier"

"A splendidly entertaining, definitive work."
--Entertainment Weekly
"This riveting, revealing portrait of the legendary director and star is unlikely to be surpassed."
--Los Angeles Times Book Review
"A wonderfully readable, sharp, shrewd and evenhanded biography . . . Callow is a witty and feeling biographer."
--Chicago Tribune
"Callow is in control all the way."
--The New York Times Book Review

"With a keen attention to detail, he brings Welles back to life for us, and brings to his portrait the critical skill of extrapolating the artist's personality form his work."
--The Wall Street Journal
"Simon Callow's tumultuous, riveting, and admirably researched biography . . . has the energy of revelation."
--The Boston Globe
"Callow touches nothing without leaving huge fingerprints of his charm, wit and superbly encompassing mind, quite equal to the wit and invention of Welles himself . . . . This is a feast whose every course is flavored with humanity and superfine intelligence."
--The Philadelphia Inquirer
"Brilliant. . . . Other accounts of the boy wonder from Wisconsin are now rendered obsolete by Simon Callow's massive The Road to Xanadu. . . . [Callow] has outperformed every previous biographer in the arena of research."
--Fort Worth Star Telegram
"Exceptionally perceptive . . . not only enormously entertaining but also hugely informative. . . . Callow has us hungering for more."
--San Jose Mercury News
"[Callow] excels at what must have been his most frustrating task: analyzing theater work he could not see for himself. The book expertly evokes Welles's wildly-inventive productions. . . . As Callow meticulously shows, George Orson Welles knew acclaim and misuse from early childhood."
--Time
"Easily the best Welles biography. . . . Callow's expertise as actor and director gives his accounts of Welles's work a unique authenticity."
--Newsweek
"A brilliant biography, which builds on the research of its predecessors while judiciously taking the measure of this human tornado, bringing him down to earth. . . . Callow is a whiz . . . because he has a sharp-tongued, fearlessly judgmental, epigrammatic style that cuts through dithering."
--Newsday
"Welles might seem a difficult subject for a new biography. The legend is already pretty much written in stone. Callow's achievement is threefold: he embraces his subject with such gallumphing energy that the extraordinary power of his subject is conveyed as if for the first, fascinated time; he attempts a sober reassessment, trying to get an honest measure of someone who seemed larger than life without in any petty way cutting him down to size; and he provides a genuinely interesting actor's view of the actor. . . . It is this which makes The Road to Xanadu feel, improbably, like a fresh journey rather than another weary, ironic retreading of the route."
--The Times (London)
"A knock-down, brass-bound, copper-bottomed triumph. It is a big, fat book and it is tremendous fun to read. . . . Callow's style has much in common with his acting: the text is full-bodied, rich, fruity and dense. . . . It is Simon Callow's triumph that at the end of this book Orson Welles comes before us just as Oscar Wilde did at the end of Richard Ellmann's superb biography--a towering figure, laughing . . . so generous, so amusing, and so right."
--Daily Telegraph
"In this monumental two-part work . . . Welles at last has a life to match his bulk. Callow confirms the old truism that it takes one to know one. Himself a man of the theater, he has the literary craft, too, to make an imaginative leap into Orson Welles's psyche, inhabit his life, not simply chronicle it. It is the best book I have read that explains a fabulous figure in terms of the reality of his own life."
--Evening Standard
"The book is a miracle of research, and Mr. Callow writes well and with a miss-nothing intelligence. Welles is brought vividly to life; we hear and see him. It is an important book; it has resonance, it contains worlds; it satisfies."
--The Irish Times
"A superbly wrought, aesthetically and psychologically acute portrait of Welles's sheer, undisciplined genius. . . . Not since Francois Truffaut's book of Hitchcock has an arts biographer possessed such a professional and intuitive understanding of his subject . . . all accomplished in a highly literate, epigrammatic style that makes this biography a sumptuous pleasure to read"
--Kirkus Reviews
"Himself a protean, larger-than-life character, Simon Callow is uniquely qualified to plumb the depths of Orson Welles. As a mere writer, it pains me to admit that it has taken an actor to produce one of the finest thespian biographies of recent years."
--Anthony Holden, author of Laurence Olivier

-A splendidly entertaining, definitive work.-
--Entertainment Weekly
-This riveting, revealing portrait of the legendary director and star is unlikely to be surpassed.-
--Los Angeles Times Book Review
-A wonderfully readable, sharp, shrewd and evenhanded biography . . . Callow is a witty and feeling biographer.-
--Chicago Tribune
-Callow is in control all the way.-

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.

  • PublisherViking
  • Publication date1996
  • ISBN 10 0670867225
  • ISBN 13 9780670867226
  • BindingHardcover
  • Number of pages656
  • Rating

Other Popular Editions of the Same Title

9780140254563: Orson Wells: The Road to Xanadu: 01 (Orson Welles)

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ISBN 10:  0140254560 ISBN 13:  9780140254563
Publisher: Penguin, 1997
Softcover

  • 9780099462514: Orson Welles, Volume 1: The Road to Xanadu (Orson Welles Biographies, 1)

    Vintage, 1996
    Softcover

  • 9780224038522: Orson Welles, Volume 1

    Jonath..., 1995
    Hardcover

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