Cole Porter: A Biography - Softcover

McBrien, Professor Of English William

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0679727922 ISBN 13: 9780679727927

Publisher: Vintage, 2000

Synopsis

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 Anything Goes and Kiss Me, Kate, 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.

In Cole Porter, 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.

About this title

Review:

"The definitive biography of the bon vivant who was the supreme master of sophisticated popular song." --The New York Times Book Review

"A fine biography. . . . It brings to our understanding . . . the ways that the contradictions and compulsions of [Porter's] life explain the emotional force and timelessness [of] the music." -- The Philadelphia Inquirer

"Thorough . . . fascinating. . . . Loaded with juicy gossip. [It] succeeds in evoking Porter's white-tie-and-orchids set [and] his active, if closeted, gay life in Manhattan and Hollywood." --People

"Read this book. . . . You will spend time with, and get to know, one of the great creative figures of the twentieth century." --Betty Comden, The New York Observer

From the Back Cover:

COLE pORTER composed some of this century’s most evocative music, including 'Night and Day', 'Easy to Love' and 'I've Got You Under My Skin'. His musical scores, notably 'Kiss Me Kate', 'High Society', 'Silk Stockings' and 'Can-Can', shaped three decades of movie-making. Porter worked with everyone who was anyone: Fred Astaire, Ethel Merman, Mary Martin and many others.

Interweaving his life and music, William McBrien contrasts Porter's raffish, elegant scores with the pain and passion of a life which mixed devotion to his wife with numerous homosexual love affairs. This definitive biography contains frank interviews with friends and colleagues who until now have never spoken about Cole Porter. Now, at last, we can fully understand the man, the music and its magic – as well as the darker side of the star whose live and work epitomizes the romance of café society.

“McBrien has done a superb job, uncovering the real man behind the carapace of style”
Financial Times

“A thorough and balanced account of an exceptional life, diligently written.”
Daily Mail

“This new biography will tell you all you need to know about Old King Cole. And then some.”
Literary Review

“Fascinating . . . not least for its portrait of a vastly rich lifestyle”
Daily Telegraph

About this edition

• Publisher: Vintage
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0679727922
• ISBN 13: 9780679727927
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 480