Kirjahaku

This fascinating biography of one of the most legendary sex symbols of the twentieth century tells the story of how this surprisingly ordinary woman achieved her iconic status, from her early days as a performer on the Vaudeville circuit, to her big debut in She Done Him Wrong alongside Cary Grant that famously saved Paramount Pictures from bankruptcy in 1933. Immortalised by her infamous one-liners, her comedic talent remains firm in our consciousness, yet beneath the mask hid a private and often insecure woman. From interviews with those who knew her best, the author brings to life the real Mae West.

Kathleen Ferrier has a reputation as the greatest lyric contralto of the twentiety century. Her story, from her humble beginnings as a telephone operator in Blackburn to the height of international fame as one of the world's leading concert artists and her untimely death at the age of forty-one, is told told with compelling insight and perception, using a variety of sources, from photographs, diaries, and private letters to the memoirs and recollections of those who knew her best. Despite having no formal musical training, Kathleen worked with all the celebrated conductors of the time, and is remembered for her performances of music by Brahms, Schubert and Mahler, as well as a handful of operatic roles. Enlarging considerably on many alternative biographies, this excellent account captures the warmth, humour and charm of a figure whose astonishing life and career proved to be, sadly, all too brief.