Piaf - Hardcover

Crosland, Margaret

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0399130888 ISBN 13: 9780399130885

Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1985

Synopsis

Musocal Studies, Film, Motion Pictures, French Literature, Biography

About this title

From Library Journal:

Artists from two divergent facets of the entertainment world are represented by these new titles. Piaf, the first non-French biography of the legendary singer, succeeds in discarding the myths and half-truths promulgated by other biographers and by Piaf herself. Piaf's path was self-destructive; her constant bouts with alcohol and drugs and her attempts to manipulate the men she loved form a pattern which would only end with her death at 48. But Piaf's fame transcended her unique vocal talents; she became what she sang, a monstre sacre idolized by fans all over the world. Crosland uses both interviews and Piaf's recorded legacy in analyzing the life and work; the result is a fascinating, well-balanced and factual biography that captures the essence of Piaf's tormented life. Appendixes include a complete discography. Eric W. Johnson, Univ. of New Haven Lib., West Haven, Ct.
Copyright 1985 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Publishers Weekly:

Two decades after her death, Edith Gassion, the Parisian singer known as Piaf, remains a mystery; even the plaques that mark her places of birth and death are false indicators. Crosland, a British author who has written biographies of Cocteau and Colette, tries to dispel the legends (Piaf's birth on a sidewalk and her miracle cure from blindness, for example), presents the ascertainable facts and conveys the unique quality of her singing. Stating that a catalog of Piaf's songs is infinitely more absorbing than a list of her love affairs, Crosland nevertheless describes her many relationships with men and asserts that Piaf's whole life was a long attempt to assert her tyranny over them. Disappointingly, however, this well-balanced biography does not come alive. Included is an excellent discography of Piaf recordings available in Britain. Photos not seen by PW. October
Copyright 1985 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons
• Publication date: 1985
• ISBN 10: 0399130888
• ISBN 13: 9780399130885
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 240