Selvbiografier

Innovator. Genius. Legend. Jim Henson was a talent like no other. The iconic characters he created Kermit the Frog, Bert and Ernie, Miss Piggy, Big Bird made Jim Henson a household name. But they were just a part of his remarkable story. Now, in this extraordinary biography, written with the generous cooperation of the Henson family, Jim s life is given full rein: his vibrant imagination, winning sense of humour, and infectious enthusiasm. For the very first time, the Henson archive has been opened to an independent biographer, giving Brian Jay Jones unprecedented access to private papers. Drawing on this treasure trove of material, as well as exclusive interviews with Henson s family, friends and closest collaborators, this is quite simply the most comprehensive book ever written about a man who is a hero to millions. Read all about the evolution of the Muppets, Henson s contributions to Sesame Street and his lengthy campaign to bring The Muppet Show to television, as well as Henson s non-Muppets projects the richly imagined worlds of The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth, and fascinating misfires like Henson s dream of opening an inflatable psychedelic nightclub. Jim may be gone, but he and his legacy are not forgotten. In Jim Henson, we have the ultimate celebration and examination of an unforgettable, irreplaceable, incomparable man.

Born in Manchester in 1977, Anthony Kavanagh's rise to fame was stratospheric, scoring a record deal at the age of just sixteen and winning the much-coveted Smash Hits Male Artist of the Year Award in 1997, all the while appearing on countless magazine covers, performing on Top of the Pops and gigging alongside the Spice Girls. The stuff that dreams are made of. But Anthony - or Kavana as he had been christened - was also trying to keep his sexuality a secret while navigating his way through an industry where image was everything; where his success depended on him having to be exactly who he wasn't. What followed was a dark and dangerous spiral into addiction, an illness that would doggedly hound and baffle him for years to come. Popscars chronicles the highs, the lows, the lies, the debauchery, the hitting rock bottom and then finding out that rock bottom has a basement. Thirty years on, Anthony is ready to tell his jaw-dropping story. Pop Scars is a book about stardom, fame, addiction, grief and - ultimately - survival and sobriety.

Finding Hester explores the untold story of Hester Leggatt, a woman who helped trick the Nazis. Owing to a personal connection built with the Leggatt family, the author has been given exclusive access to the real diaries and letters of the woman who wrote the Operation Mincemeat love letters.

Dan Biddle's body and mind were devastated on 7 July 2005, during the worst single terrorist atrocity on British soil. It took ten seconds to disassemble him. It's taken twenty years for him to find the inner peace and brutal honesty reveal his daily battle to go on surviving.

At some point between living alone and becoming single, Hwang Sunwoo and Kim Hana found each other, and decided to live together in a nice apartment where their four cats would finally have the freedom to run around. Together they became a family - and redefined it. At a time housing costs have skyrocketed whilst the birth rates plummets, these two independent Korean women in their late forties share their views on society and its expectations of them. And, intent neither to marry or to live alone, they reflect on the comfort of their cohabiting friendship as it blossoms into a life full of joy and meaning. From housing insecurity and access to health care, to solo dining and stigmatised cat ladies, the loaded, self-sacrificing demands of filial piety and obligations to in-laws, TWO WOMEN LIVING TOGETHER impugns social scripts by spelling them out plainly. But also, and especially, by showing what it's like to choose differently. Quietly radical, full of warmth and wit, WOMEN LIVING TOGETHER celebrates carving out your own path, cats, female friendship, and a different kind of family.

An enthralling portrait of Queen Catherine of Braganza, wife of Charles II, which brings her struggles vividly to life and reveals her forgotten place in British history.

"Written by a longtime friend and ally, Lincoln the Citizen offers a rare character study and insightful biography of Lincoln before he became president. Michael Burlingame restores material cut by editors of the original 1907 publication to present Henry Clay Whitney's work in full. Whitney's work reveals the legal and political spheres where Lincoln moved while providing eyewitness accounts and intimate stories shared by Lincoln himself. Whitney's unique vantage point informs analyses of everything from Lincoln's melancholic temperament to his colorful early career to views on his marriage and family life. Burlingame places Whitney's singular contributions within Lincoln studies but also weighs criticisms of the book and disputes over what information the author may or may not have invented. A restored edition of an invaluable memoir, Lincoln the Citizen presents a wealth of overlooked biographical detail by one of the people who knew Lincoln best"--

For fans of books like Waiter Rant, and all those who have always wondered how the other half lives, comes this heartfelt, laugh-out-loud memoir from a New York City doorman with astute ears and a penchant for storytellingAs an academically gifted Latino kid growing up in the Bronx, Stephen Bruno's family had high aspirations for his future. He attended magnet schools and selective academic programs and was on track to realize his potential. But those dreams were derailed when, much to his Mami's dismay, he followed a girlfriend to Minnesota and a dead-end job. Languishing and unable to get it together, Stephen eventually moved back home. Broke and eager to make a way for himself-and away from the oppressively religious father wreaking havoc on his love life-the affable, easy going, and quick-witted Stephen lands a much-coveted job as a doorman at a high-end building on Park Avenue. Hilarity and drama soon abound as Stephen learns the dos and don'ts of being a doorman for the rich and famous and witnesses the antics going on behind the front entrance of this swanky building. In Building Material, he shares those entertaining tales and introduces an unforgettable cast of characters-from Puerto Rican and Albanian doormen battling it out for turf to quirky one percenters to slimy sugar daddies to his peers, both friends and frenemies. Throughout, Stephen offers a glimpse into the unfathomable lives of the residents and a sharp portrait of an everyday man wanting more for himself. Both poignant and laugh-out-loud funny, Building Material is a captivating true tale of class, failure, and redemption-and how to come back swinging-from a gifted young talent.

● Angelo Codevilla, a towering intellect and prolific scholar, left an indelible mark on the study of political philosophy and the practice of American statecraft. An Italian immigrant, Codevilla embraced the American experiment with a fervent belief in its republican ideals. His academic journey took him to Rutgers, where his early promise in physics hinted at the analytical rigor he later applied to political philosophy. Pursuing his passion for understanding human governance, he earned a PhD under the legendary Leo Strauss at the Claremont Graduate School. A Naval officer and later a key figure on Capitol Hill, Codevilla seamlessly bridged the worlds of strategic policy and classical thought. His advocacy for missile defense during the Reagan Administration--a concept many deemed visionary--was matched only by his sharp critiques of the bipartisan political class. Codevilla's profound engagement with the writings of Machiavelli, Tocqueville, and America's Founders informed his incisive works, including The Character of Nations and America's Rise and Fall Among Nations. A translator of Machiavelli's The Prince and an unrelenting critic of technocratic governance, he inspired a generation of thinkers to confront uncomfortable truths about modernity and the American regime. This festschrift gathers the reflections of prominent scholars who honor Codevilla's enduring legacy and the clarity he brought to questions of liberty, strategy, and the fate of nations. Essential reading for students of history, politics, and statecraft, it celebrates a man whose insights continue to resonate in an age in search of wisdom.

As a member of Big in Japan, The Slits and, most famously, Siouxsie and The Banshees and The Creatures, 'Budgie' became one of the era-defining drummers in the much-mythologised post punk scene of the late 1970s and early 1980s.Growing up in working class St Helens in the 1960s, Peter Clarke lost his mum as a young boy and it's her 'absence' that haunts the pages of this book. Disenchanted with art school inLiverpool, Peter became Budgie and befriended the likes of Jayne Casey, Holly Johnson, Pete Burns, Bill Drummond and other luminaires of the legendary Eric's' Club, before taking off for London and the big city heat of punk. Budgie's unique technique and musical sensitivity endeared him to the all-female group The Slits, who asked him to play on their debut album Cut. Subsequent touring with former members of the Sex Pistols and others from the post punk aristocracy firmly established Budgie's reputation for innovation.But the beating heart of this painfully honest and frank account of a life often sabotaged by substance abuse and alcoholism is, of course, his long-term position as Siouxsie and The Banshee's drummer and co-writer alongside ex-lover, and ex-wife, Siouxsie Sioux. In the Banshees and seminal side project The Creatures, their creative partnership produced some of the most seductive and celebrated pop music of the decade, from Juju, through A Kiss in the Dreamhouse to the salutary valedictory album, Peepshow. Eventually, their personal relationship started to fall apart, with inevitable consequences for both bands. The Absence is brave and unflinching in its dissection of how and why this happened. Angels emerged, many of them female, to show Budgie that a mother's lost love can be replaced. A man and musician whose creativity and singular style came to define the goth-pop 1980s as much as any other individual, Budgie's life is both fabulously glamorous and a tawdry cautionary tale. For the first time the story of this most exalted and mysterious of bands has been told by one who survived inside the belly of the beast.

This book takes a fresh look at Jane Austen’s life, inspirations and legacy, drawing on the latest research in an accessible and lively format. Including a range of photographs, artworks and illustrations, this book provides fascinating insight to Jane Austen for those both familiar with and just encountering her work.