|
|
Books > Arts & Architecture > Performing arts
From much-loved documentary maker Louis Theroux comes a funny,
heartfelt and entertaining account of his life and weird times in TV.
In 1994 fledgling journalist Louis Theroux was given a one-off gig on
Michael Moore’s TV Nation, presenting a segment on apocalyptic
religious sects. Gawky, socially awkward and totally unqualified, his
first reaction to this exciting opportunity was panic. But he’d always
been drawn to off-beat characters, so maybe his enthusiasm would carry
the day. Or, you know, maybe it wouldn’t . . .
In Gotta Get Theroux This, Louis takes the reader on a joyous journey
from his anxiety-prone childhood to his unexpectedly successful career.
Nervously accepting the BBC’s offer of his own series, he went on to
create an award-winning documentary style that has seen him immersed in
the weird worlds of paranoid US militias and secretive pro-wrestlers,
get under the skin of celebrities like Max Clifford and Chris Eubank
and tackle gang culture in San Quentin prison, all the time wondering
whether the same qualities that make him good at documentaries might
also make him bad at life.
As Louis woos his beautiful wife Nancy and learns how to be a father,
he also dares to take on the powerful Church of Scientology. Just as
challenging is the revelation that one of his old subjects, Jimmy
Savile, was a secret sexual predator, prompting him to question our
understanding of how evil takes place. Filled with wry observation and
self-deprecating humour, this is Louis at his most insightful and
honest best.
Helen Lewis' acclaimed memoir, A Time to Speak (Blackstaff Press,
Belfast, 1997), tells the story of the first thirty years of her
life in Czechoslovakia, from childhood to her professional training
as a choreographer and dancer. It also contains her devastating
account of Nazi persecution, of loss and suffering in the
Holocaust: Helen came very close to death. Maddy Tongue now
completes the story of this extraordinary woman who overcame
unimaginable suffering to become a creative force in Ireland. The
author's friendship with Helen lasted for more than fifty years. As
a dancer she performed in many of Helen's significant works.
Shadows Behind the Dance describes Helen's creative approach, her
struggle to overcome an Irish indifference to modern dance, her
pursuit of perfection and her unshakeable belief in humanity. In
Ireland today the presence of modern dance owes much to her
innovative teaching and practice. Shadows Behind the Dance is
supplemented with Chris Agee's 2002 interview with Helen, "An Irish
Epilogue", and a folio of Holocaust poems and drawings by Michael
Longley and Sarah Longley (who was a pupil of Helen's). Helen's
sons, Robin and Michael, have also written a Foreword. The book has
been generously funded through subscription by family, friends,
colleagues and admirers of the unforgettable Helen Lewis.
For years the legendary John Seigenthaler hosted A Word on Words on
Nashville's public television station, WNPT. During the show's
four-decade run (1972 to 2013), he interviewed some of the most
interesting and most impor tant writers of our time. These in-depth
exchanges revealed much about the writers who appeared on his show
and gave a glimpse into their creative pro cesses. Seigenthaler was
a deeply engaged reader and a generous interviewer, a true
craftsman. Frye Gaillard and Pat Toomay have collected and
transcribed some of the iconic interactions from the show.
Featuring interviews with: Arna Bontemps * Marshall Chapman * Pat
Conroy * Rodney Crowell * John Egerton * Jesse Hill Ford * Charles
Fountain * William Price Fox * Kinky Friedman * Frye Gaillard *
Nikki Giovanni * Doris Kearns Goodwin * David Halberstam * Waylon
Jennings * John Lewis * David Maraniss * William Marshall * Jon
Meacham * Ann Patchett * Alice Randall * Dori Sanders * John
Seigenthaler Sr. * Marty Stuart * Pat Toomay
Step right up for the most captivating read of the year . . .
Filled with the sights and sounds of Victorian England, Circus of
Wonders is the instant Sunday Times bestseller from Elizabeth
Macneal, author of The Doll Factory. 'Intensely satisfying' -
Stacey Halls, author of The Familiars England, 1866. When Jasper
Jupiter's Circus of Wonders arrives in a coastal village, Nell soon
catches the showman's eye. Shunned by her community because of the
birthmarks speckling her skin, to Jasper she is a prize - she could
be his very own leopard girl. But how to make her his? Soon Nell
finds herself the star of Jasper's show. Suddenly she is famous.
Crowds rush to watch her soar through the air. Figurines are cast
in her image. Even Queen Victoria wants to see her perform. But is
Nell free to live and love as she chooses? And when her fame begins
to eclipse Jasper's own, could she be in danger? After all, the
higher you fly, the steeper the fall . . . 'Filled with character
and life' - The Times 'Utterly beguiling' - Daily Mail 'Brilliantly
involving' - Daily Express 'Exhilarating' - Sunday Times, Books of
the Year 'An immersive gem' - Red 'Joyous, frightening,
heartbreaking' - Independent 'Deliciously vivid' - Woman & Home
|
|