First published in 1964, this autobiography is a welcome addition
to the Penguin list of modern classics. In his introduction David
Robinson tells how Chaplin was accused of using a ghost writer but
explains that no one but the actor could have written so vivid and
idiosyncratic account of his life. An autodidact, Chaplin is said
to have learned a new word each day and here he is lavish with his
newly acquired vocabulary. He talks of the 'pulchritudinous
influence' of Mabel Normand and other women on the 'he-man'
atmosphere of the studio and of the 'quidnuncs and quasi-promoters'
to be found in the Alexandria Hotel in Los Angeles. His was an
extraordinary life. Born in the East End of London, Chaplin and his
half-brother Sydney wanted to pursue a stage career. Both their
mother and Chaplin's father had been in vaudeville and both boys
were to succeed in their ambition. The odds against them doing so
were incredible for their mother became insane and Chaplin's father
died, an alcoholic, in his 30s. Several times they were taken to
the workhouse with all that that meant in terms of deprivation and
humiliation, separated not just from each other but from their
mother. Chaplin describes these times without once hinting at any
self-pity but furnishes details of pennies obtained from the pawn
shop, clothes fashioned from rags and the humiliation of never
being sure of having the rent or enough to eat. It is almost
certain that malnutrition caused his mother's breakdown. And then
comes the rise to riches and fame. Small parts on the stage begin
to earn the boy a reputation as a good comedian. He is taken to
America with a touring company and, finally, joins the studio where
the Keystone Cops films are being churned out. The passages where
he describes how the character of the little tramp evolved and how
he used his knowledge of stagecraft to improve the quality of the
early films are fascinating, as is his account of his immense
popularity. When political intrigue put an end to these happy days
in America Chaplin was married to Oona. Together they made a new
life in Europe and it is to her that he dedicated this
extraordinary book. (Kirkus UK)
As a child, Charlie Chaplin was awed and inspired by the sight of the glamorous vaudeville stars passing by his home, and from then on he never lost his ambition to become an actor. Chaplin’s film career as the Little Tramp adored by the whole world is the stuff of legend, but this frank autobiography shows another side: his childhood of grinding poverty in the south London slums and early debut on the music hall stage, his lucky break in America, the struggle to maintain artistic control over his work, the string of failed marriages, and eventual exile from Hollywood after persecution for his left-wing politics and personal scandals. My Autobiography is an evocative and compelling account of one of the twentieth century’s most remarkable lives.
‘Tells so much about this curious, difficult man … a wonderfully vivid imagination’
The New York Times
With an Introduction by David Robinson
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