Somebody - by Stefan Kanfer (Paperback)

About the Book

Marlon Brando is a perpetually fascinating character. Kanfer explores the life of this iconic artist, seamlessly intertwining the man and his work to give the full and illuminating appraisal of one of the 20th century's most extraordinary talents.

Book Synopsis

Stefan Kanfer, acclaimed biographer of Lucille Ball and Groucho Marx, now gives us the definitive life of Marlon Brando, seamlessly intertwining the man and the work to give us a stunning and illuminating appraisal. Beginning with Brando's turbulent childhood, Kanfer follows him to New York where he made his star-making Broadway debut as Stanley Kowalski in A Streetcar Named Desire at age twenty-three. Brando then decamped for Hollywood, and Kanfer looks at each of Brando's films over the years--from The Men in 1950 to The Score in 2001--offering deft and insightful analysis of his sometimes brilliant, sometimes baffling performances. And, finally, Kanfer brings into focus Brando's self-destructiveness, ambivalence toward his craft, and the tragedies that shadowed his last years.

Review Quotes

"Well-researched and beautifully written, the book is as fascinating . . . as the subject himself." --Los Angeles Times

"Miraculous. . . . A landmark in Brando studies." --David Thomson

"[A] vivid chronicle. . . . The Marlon Brando story is a fascinating and tragic one, and Kanfer gives it the size and understanding necessary to provide an enthralling read." --Peter Bogdanovich

"Stefan Kanfer strikes an original note by portraying him, albeit with great sensitivity and tact, as a man permanently teetering on the brink of madness-clearly part of his mesmeric screen presence." --The Sunday Times (London)

About the Author

Stefan Kanfer's books include The Eighth Sin, A Summer World, The Last Empire, Serious Business, Groucho, Ball of Fire, and Stardust Lost. He was a writer and editor at Time for more than twenty years and was its first bylined film critic, a post he held between 1967 and 1972. He is also the primary interviewer in the Academy Award-nominated documentary The Line King and editor of an anthology of Groucho Marx's comedy, The Essential Groucho. He is a Literary Lion of the New York Public Library and the recipient of numerous writing awards. He lives in New York City and on Cape Cod.