The King and I

Jan 16, 2025 12:31 PM

Author:Herbert Breslin,Anne Midgette

The King and I

In 1967, Luciano Pavarotti was an up-and-coming young tenor with a voice far more impressive than his stage technique or presence. So Decca, his record company, told him, 'Luciano, you're a real nice guy. So you need a real bastard to do your publicity.' Enter Herbert Breslin. The two of them hit it off and thus began a professional association and a friendship that lasted over 36 years.

The King and I is the story of that relationship, during which Breslin guided what he calls, justifiably, 'the greatest career in classical music', moving Pavarotti out of the opera house and into the arms of the mass public. He and Pavarotti changed the landscape of opera and Breslin relates the story of their journey in a candid, witty fashion that is often hysterically frank and profane. His portrait of his friend and client is full of hilarious details that could only come from a true insider.

The King and I is the ultimate backstage book about the greatest opera star of the past century - and the last word comes from none other than Luciano Pavarotti himself.

Reviews

Breslin is a sharp, racy and very witty raconteur . . . richly entertaining

—— Sunday Times

The most candid and hilarious exposé of operatic venality ever to make it past a lawyer's squint. With the glee of a jilted lover, Breslin castigates Pavarotti's greed for food, for fame, for sex

—— Evening Standard

If you're the kind of opera lover who thrives on backstage gossip, The King and I will be just the ticket

—— Independent on Sunday

Herbert Breslin's unbounded affection and deep admiration for his friend and client of 36 years shines through in this thoroughly enjoyable book

—— Irish Independent

Reveals the extraordinary greed, passions and ego of Pavarotti . . . a candid memoir

—— Mail on Sunday

A forensic analysis of the songs that helped forge his many myths...an impressive, exhaustive account

—— Times Literary Supplement

An exemplary introduction to a star in the making...excellent at placing the sexuality-stretching Bowie within the context of a decade struggling to find its identity

—— Metro

Part historical commentary, part fanboy's breakdown of every Bowie song from the era

—— The Times

Doggett exhaustively chases Bowie's inspirations and intentions as he morphs from the gender-bending glam rock Ziggy Stardust to the plastic soul-spinning Thin White Duke

—— Daily Telegraph

This book tracks Bowie's ever changing masks and alter egos... [and] helps answer the question that most Bowie fans have asked at one time or another: what the hell is he on about?

—— Irish Times

Doggett is no uncritical fan – his intimate knowledge of the industry lends him a cool eye when assessing the extent of Bowie’s originality… Overall it will leave readers of a certain age yearning for the days when they could throw their homework on the fire and take the car downtown

—— Sally Morris , Daily Mail

Superb

—— The Word

Utterly riveting

—— Rob Fitzpatrick , Sunday Times

Vivid biography...This brilliant book is not just about Jamaica, but also about ourselves, no longer the country of The King's Speech but a post-imperial nation, many of whose citizens have a buried history of slavery

—— Maggie Gee , Guardian

Masterful biography...It is utterly riveting, taking in, as it does, true crime, West African folk magic and deeply corrupt politics

—— Rob Fitzpatrick , Sunday Times

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