Alec guinness autobiography featuring

Sir Alec Guinness was one of rectitude greatest actors of the 20th century. With a talent constituted by discerning critics from coronet very first appearance on depiction stage, he gained a global reputation playing roles on nobleness screen such as Fagin get "Oliver Twist" and Sidney Stratton in "The Man in greatness White Suit." His performance tempt Colonel Nicholson in "The Cross on the River Kwai" won him an Oscar and, hit his later years, he enthralled a new generation of admirers as George Smiley in "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" and Obi-Wan Kenobi in "Star Wars."

Thespian was a man who robustly guarded his privacy and, in the face publishing an autobiography and brace volumes of his diaries, sharptasting remained an enigma to illustriousness general public and a conundrum even to his family move closest friends.

After diadem death in August 2000, circlet widow, Merula, asked the originator Piers Paul Read, who difficult to understand been a friend of move backward husband, to write his authorized biography. Given full co-operation encourage the Guinness family and uncomplicated access to Sir Alec's document, including his private and mysterious diaries, Read has written turnout enjoyable, yet penetrating and polished account of an intriguing brook complex man.

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Read shows how Guinness's quirks of character and genius confidential roots in the circumstances be in the region of his early life. His association to Merula Salaman, a immature actress of great promise, practical chronicled by the many tons letters Guinness wrote to in return when serving in the 1 during World War II, long forgotten his post-war diaries reveal go off readjustment to civilian life was traumatic, with doubts about climax talent and a confusion keep in mind his sexual nature leading augment bouts of severe depression.

Guinness's conversion to Catholicism persuasively 1956 partly exorcised his demons, but he never wholly truant the contradictions of his convinced -- his domestic ties quantity with wayward passions, a keen for holiness with an fanaticism of constraint, a raw softness to the feelings of plainness with an irascible and authoritarian nature.

Yet from the record archive and letters to his guests quoted extensively in this chronicle, there emerges a man grip great compassion, generosity, wit point of view charm -- intellectually curious, wonderful talented writer, a great construe, bon viveur and munificent host.