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The Memoirs of Hector Berlioz
The Memoirs of Hector Berlioz
Oct 7, 2024 4:32 PM

Author:Berlioz

The Memoirs of Hector Berlioz

Possibly the most colourful figure in the history of Western music, Hector Berlioz (1803–1869) was certainly the most eloquent. His autobiography is among the greatest ever written. Larger than life – like his massive works – Berlioz was a seminal figure in the Romantic movement and his book is both a personal testament and an account of his role in that movement. It tells the story of his romance with Harriet Smithson –with whom he fell in love when he saw her playing the part of Ophelia – and his even more passionate affairs with Shakespeare, Scott and Byron.

Familiar with all the great figures of the age – Liszt, Wagner, Balzac, Delacroix, Weber, Rossini – Berlioz paints brilliant and often mordant portraits of them in a style which is one of the glories of French prose. Above all, this is the intimate and detailed self-revelation of a complex and attractive man, driven by his creative urges to a position of lonely eminence.

The Memoirs of Hector Berlioz were translated some years ago by David Cairns now famous himself as the composer’s finest biographer. For the Everyman edition he has completely revised the text, and the extensive notes which accompany it, to take account of the latest research.

Reviews

A story of enormous depth: honest, intelligent and compelling. I have rarely read anything as moving

—— Sunday Times

Brave, funny and deeply moving

—— Sunday Telegraph

Fascinating and utterly lacking in self-pity

—— Guardian

Through his honesty, dignity, and clarity of purpose, Reeve has created an involving book and a meaningful life

—— New York Times Book Review

Still me redefines the idea of hero . . . In this detailed and well-written autobiography, Reeve proves that, in many ways, he has transcended previous accomplishments through his courage and character

—— Boston Globe

A REMARKABLE BOOK . . . Reeve's autobiography is distinguished not only by the dignified candor with which he describes his utterly changed world but also by his emotional directness. . . . Long hours of soul-searching have resulted in a heightened eloquence. . . . STILL ME may be the most important contribution Reeve could ever make to his healing, to his family, to his public. . . . [He] communicates so well, in fact, that it's easy to forget that every word of STILL ME has been wrested from a body in revolt against a mind clarified by adversity. This is a feat to daunt even Superman

—— Entertainment Weekly

Bold and unflinching

—— Washington Post

Captivating . . . an emotional memoir . . . The author takes readers on a roller-coaster ride from the height of Hollywood fame to his darkest days . . . In one heartbreaking passage, Reeve writes how he wanted to die after his Memorial Day accident until his wife urged him to live

—— New York Daily News

Inspiring

—— Los Angeles Times
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