Product Description
Now in paperback: "An authoritative biography and a compulsive page-turner." (Michael Palin, New York Times Book Review)

Peter Sellers' explosive talent made him a beloved figure in world cinema and continues to attract new audiences. With his darkly comic performances in Dr. Strangelove and Lolita and his outrageously funny appearances as Inspector Clouseau in the Pink Panther films, he became one of the most popular movie stars of his time.

In this lively and exhaustively researched biography, Ed Sikov offers unique insight into Sellers' comedic style. Beginning with Sellers' lonely childhood dominated by a mother who wouldn't let go, through his service in the Royal Air Force, and his success on BBC Radio's The Goon Show, Sikov goes on to detail the actor's relationships with his family, costars, directors, and admirers -- a portrait that is as comic and tragic as Peter Sellers himself.Amazon.com Review
How do you write the biography of a cipher? That's the daunting challenge veteran Hollywood biographer Ed Sikov tackles in exploring the life of one of the 20th century's most acclaimed comic actors. Peter Sellers' uncanny talents as a mimic would inform everything from English radio's Goon Show and the highly profitable--if increasingly broad--cycle of Inspector Clouseau Pink Panther films to his brilliant turn as Chauncey Gardiner in Being There, a role that had all too many discomforting parallels to Sellers' own cryptic personality. Sikov reveals that the man long hailed as comedy's greatest chameleon was in fact a tragic, troubled personal vacuum, the only child of a literal stage mother who indulged his every whim, yet left him a distinct void for a soul. Sikov interviews many of the relatives, intimates, and survivors of Sellers that filled his alternately strange and spectacular life, while thoroughly chronicling every professional triumph and more than a few missteps. Sikov's straightforward reporting, seasoned by his own dry wit, details the parts that made up the man, but the sum remains an ever compelling enigma. As Lolita and Dr. Strangelove director Stanley Kubrick, no slouch in the personal riddle sweepstakes himself, once said of Sellers: "There is no such person." --Jerry McCulley ... Read more

Customer Reviews (21)

Good...one-sided, but good.
Certainly not a bad book, but sometimes just too one sided in its expose of the famed comic actor.Sellers, well known for his strange behavior (both eccentic & nasty at various times) is too often portrayed as a misunderstood genius and author Ed Sikov seems to forgive him for his failings.There are blow by blow accounts of the making of some classic films (DR. STRANGELOVE, THE PARTY, THE PINK PANTHER) and a lot of gossipy chatter about the jet-set in the 1960s.Roman Polanksi, Mia Farrow & all four Beatles are given a lot of coverage while Sellers' collaborators such as Blake Edwards, Spike Milligan and Paul Mazursky are relagated either to the fringes or come across as catty and bitter (note how Sikov makes a point of disregarding Mazursky's account of Sellers' irrational behavior on the set of I LOVE YOU ALICE B. TOKLAS).Still, it's a thorough look at Sellers life and work, one that includes brilliant work in DR. STRANGELOVE, LOLITA, THE PARTY, and BEING THERE.

Not great.
I'm not giving this book a low rating because I love Peter Sellers so much that I can't stand reading anything bad about him. I'm giving it two stars because it is a rather uninspired biography. Sikov's writing style is somewhat annoying. He sometimes seems to be trying to be funny or he makes stupid political statements that are not called for or needed in the book. As far as I can make out his portrayal of Sellers as a complete nut is accurate. My favorite work of Peter Sellers are his Pink Panther films. Too much is written about what the movies Seller's worked on are about then details of the making of these movies. It was interesting to read what Herbert Lom and Burt Kwouk had to say about him, but all in all it is a sad portrait of a very bizarre person who had a great gift and ability.

A Film Critic's Bio
Many of the other reviewers on this page complain that Sikov's book is stuffed with too many details on the movies and other show biz background and doesn't give enough on Sellers' personal life; others love the movie details and think Sikov gives just enough info on Sellers' mother and wives and kids and so on. The thing to remember, I think, is that Sikov is a film critic, not a psychologist. He writes what he knows, and he really does know film. His discussions of the often chaotic details of the development, production, marketing, and reviewing of the Sellers movies are in fact wonderful, if that's what you're mostly looking for in a biography of a movie star. I had the same reaction as another reviewer: his plot summaries and quotations from the movies made me want to go out and buy the DVDs.

If you're looking for the dirt, well, there's enough of it here for many readers, but Sikov isn't really interested in all the sordid details of Sellers' life, and it's easy to understand why some readers grew frustrated. Sikov tends to pass over the steamier moments of his story with a quick quotation from a friend of Sellers, or somebody he was working with at the time. The book you want if you're interested in the dirt is Roger Lewis's The Life and Death of Peter Sellers, on which Stephen Hopkins' 2004 movie starring Geoffrey Rush was based.

Lewis is also much more interested in psychoanalyzing Sellers than Sikov. I must admit that I would have liked to see a bit more of that in Sikov's book. How exactly did bad mothering make Sellers the depersonalized terror that he became? Sikov quotes a number of Sellers' friends as "diagnosing" him as "manic-depressive," but we never get any background for or comment on that claim; it's just something that several people say about Sellers. Once again: Sikov really isn't interested in such matters. He's interested in the performances, and uses stories about Sellers' personality or private life as occasional fillers to get us from one movie story to the next.

Another aspect of Sellers' life that doesn't particularly interest Sikov is money. We are told about Sellers' love of money, his need to be rich and to flaunt his wealth, and we do hear of his salary negotiations on many films; but in the seventies, before he and Blake Edwards get back together to start making Pink Panther movies again, he goes into a slump, makes six or seven dogs in a row, and Sikov tells us "the money was running out." Really? What does that mean, exactly? Shortly afterwards, we begin to hear that Sellers had to move around a lot, and eventually settled in Ireland, because of "tax difficulties"--what tax difficulties? Sikov never tells us; that just isn't interesting.

Still, if you love movies (and why would you be reading about Peter Sellers if you didn't?), and are endlessly fascinated by how movies get made, this is an excellent biography. Sikov's light touch, flawless journalistic style (which often borders wonderfully on the grotesque, as when he writes of Sellers' Chauncey Gardiner in Being There that "He is a mental earlobe trying to be a fin"), and cheerful cynicism about marriage, love, happiness, and so on give the reader a reassuring (I want to say MORAL) standpoint from which to view the miseries of Peter Sellers' life.

Too much career, not enough personal
I really enjoyed this book and I'm becoming a bigger and bigger Sellers fan.Being that I'm 20 everything I watch of his new to me.The book just really really yammered on about every movie and I mean EVERY movie he did.I could have taken a little more personal stuff; more stories of eratic behavior, drug taking, and sex.I got through it quick, but by the end it had worn itself out and I was ready for it to be over.I recomend watching the movie, "The Life and Death of Peter Sellers" I really enjoy it.

Extremely Interesting, Will Permanently Change Your View
If all you know about Peter Sellers consists of what you've seen in his films, and you want to keep things that way, then stay away from this biography.It will permanently alter your regard for him, when after reading it you see him onscreen -- conceptually similar to the way you can't truly concentrate on a movie, any more, when Woody Allen or O.J. Simpson or (for wholly different reasons) Christopher Reeve appears.Sellers' childhood life, monstrously mismanaged by his mother, gave rise to both his immense talent and atrocious immaturity/impropriety as an adult.He comprehensively lived a child's life during his childhood, wholly unstructured and unorganized and undisciplined, propagating a glorious sense of fun, imagination and mimicry which formed the foundation of his adult career.Simultaneously, as the author points out, he never developed the "inhibitors" that prevent normal grown-ups from losing emotional control and/or unpredictably launching into violent behavior.Sellers' sporadically terrible behavior toward his first wife and children, were it to occur today and become public knowledge, would completely taint his career.He behaved abominably toward them and, objectively speaking, should have been brought to justice as an abusive husband and father.

This is a good bio to read, but be aware it will add another, and not too pleasant, layer to your thoughts about its subject. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

A worthy tribute to Peter Sellers
Well-written, insightful, sometimes poignant, mostly humourous, this was a joy to read from start to finish. I think I've read just about every book on Peter Sellers ever published, and this was certainly the most enjoyable.

This is not some psycho-analysis of his character or motivations; it is the affectionate but honest recollections of someone who was a close and loyal friend for many many years. And despite the personal involvement, Stark soon proves his views are more worthy of trust than any twisted analytical "biographer's" bizarre conclusions (see Roger Lewis).

Stark struck me as the sort of behind-the-scenes person we may not hear about very much, yet who is vital to those in the spotlight. I ended up having as much respect for the book's author as I do for its subject. To my amazement, I actually stayed up all night reading this book - the humourously-told anecdotes of the escapades these two shared, as well as the insight into personalities of the film and entertainment world of the time, was fascinating and constantly hilarious.

Subject aside (ie. even if you're not specifically interested in Peter Sellers) this is a surprisingly well-written book, very "readable", from someone who can write perceptively without ever being harshly critical. Stark strikes a wonderful balance between being appreciative of people without being blind to their faults. His good-natured, no-false-pretensions outlook, fair views and wry humour are a refreshing change from so much of the biased, sensationalist stuff written about stars, and I look forward to his autobiography out in a few months.

A worthy tribute to Peter
Well-written, insightful, sometimes poignant, mostly amusing, this was a joy to read from start to finish. I think I've read just about every book on Peter Sellers ever published, and this is top of the list. This is not some psycho-analysis of his character or motivations; it is the affectionate but honest memories of someone who was a close and loyal friend for many many years. And despite the personal involvement, Stark soon proves his views are more worthy of trust than any twisted analytical biographer with possible ulterior motives (see Roger Lewis).

Stark struck me as the sort of behind-the-scenes person we never hear about, yet who is vital to those in the spotlight, and I ended up having just as much respect for the book's author as I do for its subject. To my amazement I actually stayed up all night reading this book - the wryly-told anecdotes of the many escapades these two shared, as well as the insight into characters of the film and entertainment world of the time, was fascinating and constantly hilarious.

Subject aside (ie. even if you aren't specifically interested in Peter Sellers), this is a very well-written book, very "readable", from someone who can write perceptively without ever being harshly critical. Stark strikes a wonderful balance between being appreciative of people without being blind to their faults. His down-to-earth outlook, balanced, fair views and sense of humour are a refreshing change from so much of the biased and/or sensationalist stuff that is written about "stars", and I look forward to his autobiography out in a few months.

in a star's shadow.
This book is an important eulogy for the now deceased comic. In many ways it is the opposite to Roger Lewis' destructive biography, in that we actually hear from someone who spent time with Sellers. Touching, funny,but ultimately honest, Graham Stark defends his dead friend, by showing hisgenius, his frailties [numerous as they were], but also his humanity.Agood portrait of damaged talent.

in a star's shadow.
This book is an important eulogy for the now deceased comic. In many ways it is the opposite to Roger Lewis' destructive biography, in that we actually hear from someone who spent time with Sellers. Touching, funny,but ultimately honest, Graham Stark defends his dead friend, by showing hisgenius, his frailties [numerous as they were], but also his humanity.Agood portrait of damaged talent.

Entertaining 1st hand memories of Peter Sellers
A marvellous trip through the years with Peter Sellers, as remembered by his ever good humoured mate, Graham Stark. A far cry from the sad books about Sellers, this brings out the hilarious times Graham and Peter hadtogether including the filming of the Pink Panther films. Graham Stark doesnote his old pals failings within the stories, but it would have beenimpossible for him not to make some mention of it. It's mostly fun andGraham Stark deserves a big hand for actually bringing out a true pictureof a man who trod the thin line of being a genius comedy performer andcoping with all the problems that come with this gift. ... Read more

Product Description
Sellers' fluidity as an actor made for a terrifying madness that grew like a slow metastasizing cancer throughout his adult life. The story of Peter Sellers concludes with his premature death at the age of 54, "sick at heart and alone in those sunless hotel rooms," so recoiled from intimacy that no one really knew him anymore.Amazon.com Review
For one man to have been behind the completely mad roles ofInspector Clouseau, Dr. Strangelove, and Clare Quilty in Lolitais nuts in itself. Any surprise then that Peter Sellers, the comicgenius who pulled it all off, was himself a bit of a mad bugger?Roger Lewis recounts the details of Sellers's rise to fame and thesordid mess he made of it in this telling biography. The book succeedsat depicting the actor's artistic genius while also describing themyriad obsessions that ruled his personal life. Drugs, domestic abuse,womanizing, mysticism, and unbridled ruthlessness all fit into thestory. As Lewis himself describes it, "What made Sellers anartist on the grand scale was what made him mad: the intensity andexcitement of his imagination." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (21)

Sellers Reference
Originally, I had intended to read this like any other book.Instead, I have been going to the Index and flipping through this well-documentd tome about one of the great comedic minds of all time.This book is a terrific reference book, giving background to many performances by Peter Sellers.Any fan would realize that this is one volume that is a "must" for their libraries!

why would anyone spend so much time writing...
about someone they absolutely despise? This book does not make sense...many biographers are too obviously in love with their subjects, which can make for hard reading, but this book is impossible to read, unless you hate Peter Sellers and if you do, why would you want to read about him anyway? This author takes every word said to him about Peter Sellers as absolute gospel and every word ever spoken by PS as absolute intentional lies. Nothing Sellers has ever done since he was a child was done without cruelty or selfishness, according to Lewis.
I think this author wasted a lot of time and research on a subject he so clearly hates and his bitterness at his toil shows through loud and clear.
I am not a huge Peter Sellers fan but only hope for a fair reading when I pick up such books. This is by the least fair and least entertaining of any such book.
Sellers is blamed for everything, even the fact that his wives each married him-they must have wanted something from him, to begin with...he could not have forced them down the aisle. But of course he did...in this telling...etc...that is the mildest of conclusions to be drawn here...

Frustrating misfire
If this book was completely worthless, it would be easier to dismiss. But the fact that it's extremely well-researched only magnifies how poorly executed the final results are. For much of the book's length, the author ignores a conventional chronological approach, flitting back and forth along the Sellers timeline. One moment you're in the 1950s, the next you're propelled into the 1970s, just so the author can make what he thinks is a relevant observation. Then you're thrust back into the 1950s. Or is it the 1960s? It's hard to tell because the author makes no effort to guide you. Instead, he's more interested in passing off numerous "conclusions" -- many of which come off as wrong-headed and self-serving -- as "facts." The author clearly did his homework (there`s some solid information and fascinating first-hand quotes), yet he sabotages all his hard work with a sloppy (and pretentious) narrative style, as well as his insistence on molding some of the facts to fit his pre-conceived notions. It certainly doesn't help matters that the author automatically assumes the reader is already familiar with the bulk of Sellers' career, which is discussed, for great lengths at a time, out of chronological order. An astonishingly incomplete Index only adds to the mess.

Peter Sellers was a gifted actor and a troubled man, and his story deserves to be told. THE LIFE AND DEATH OF PETER SELLERS had the potential to be the ultimate Sellers biography. Unfortunately, that potential was ruined by a poorly organized, confusing editorial approach that renders much of the text incomprehensible. What should have been a mesmerizing tale becomes an utter chore to slog through.

Avoid this Chance
Peter Sellers was a precursor to Jim Carrey in many ways.He was uproariously funny in The Pink Panther series, he was understated in "Lolita", and masterful in "Doctor Strangelove".He was a crossover comic talent who could make the viewer laugh or cry, and whole range of emotions in between.

Apparently, his personal life was a sad one.Although commercially successful, and very wealthy, he was often lonely, and suffered through many failed relationships.

In short, his is the type of biography that should make fascinating reading.

The author, however, fails badly in his treatment of Sellers.From overwhelming the reader by the sheer volume of facts and theories about his subject, to boring the reader by his suffocating style, to making incredulous assertions, such as when he speaks about interviewing Sellers from beyond the grave via a seance.

Sadly, just keeping concentration intact is a chore.

This is possibly the worst book I have ever read.

The Brilliant Madness of Peter Sellers
"The Life and Death of Peter Sellers" (1994) excels in its critical overview of the comic actor's film career, but fails as an objective biography. When author Roger Lewis delves into the personal aspects of Sellers' brilliant madness, he drowns in a sea of unpleasant negativity. Like many human beings, it's no surprise that Sellers was a mixed bag. Unfortunately, Lewis cannot break free from his "evil monster" thesis, which undermines the fascinating analysis of Sellers' screen portrayals. It's a shame the biographer didn't put his detailed research to better use. ... Read more

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A 10th anniversay collection of the finest stories of crime and suspense from the award winning anthology series with stories by Peter Robinson, Charlotte MacLeod, Eric Wright, Ted Wood, James Powell, William Bankier, Tony Aspler, Jas. R. Petrin, Peter Sellers, John North, Mary Jane Maffini, Vivienne Gornall and Nancy Kilpatrick. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

good book!
This is one of the best book I've ever read! ... Read more

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Now in its second edition,Climatology continues to provide an up-to-date stimulating and comprehensive guide to the nature of the earth's climate. It presents a synthesis of contemporary scientific ideas about atmospheric circulation.

Topics covered include:
-Energy systems-The hydrological cycle-General circulation, local and regional climate-Application of climate information-Use of satellite observations
 

Customer Reviews (1)

excellent
It will be good studing from this boo ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Peter Sellers
I learned a lot about both Peter Sellers and Spike Milligan (bonus). I realize I have seen barely any of Sellers's films. I know him best for his role as Inspect Clouseau. My father was a huge fan of Sellers and took me to see all of his Clouseau films. Having now read his biography I can see a certain kinship between Sellers and my father. Both were rather depressed, insular people with well meaning but overly ambitious (and nagging) mothers and both never quite recovered from the divorce from their first wife. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (3)

"Was ist so nur?"
Peter Altenberg (1859-1919) was one of the literary lions of Vienna around the turn of the last century.His specialty was short prose pieces that were poetic in their economy, turns of phrase, and allusiveness.He was equally known for his carefree, unorthodox lifestyle, which included being a habitué of the coffeehouses and, though a life-long bachelor, a lover of many women (and, like Lewis Carroll, an ardent admirer of prepubescent girls).In his excellent afterword to this volume, the translator Peter Wortsman summarizes Altenberg as a "turn-of-the-century Viennese raconteur-scribe, * * * a walker and a talker and an inveterate loll-about."Wortsman also passes along Franz Kafka's assessment:"Peter Altenberg is a genius of nullifications, a singular idealist who discovers the splendors of this world like cigarette butts in the ashtrays of coffeehouses."

TELEGRAMS OF THE SOUL is a collection of 90 of Altenberg's short prose pieces, none over five pages and many less than a page.They are, in Altenberg's words, "extracts from life", as seen and fancifully embroidered and creatively expressed by a man with a poet's sensibilities.Most deal with everyday bourgeois life in Vienna, circa 1895 to 1915, which included not only the coffeehouses and the Prater, but also the "Puff" (brothel) and such exotica as the village of Africans that for a year was set up as an exhibit at the Vienna Zoo.

Many of the pieces are whimsical.Some are cynical.A few are silly but they are offset by a few that are acutely poignant.A fair percentage, however, left me mildly baffled or utterly indifferent; too much time and distance, perhaps, separates Altenberg's aesthetic sensibility from mine.It is difficult to read more than four or five pieces at a time.In other words, the book does not lend itself to being read cover to cover.

Altenberg had a keen wit. One example is an aphorism from this book:"Coquetry is the immense decency of a desirable woman, thereby, for the moment at least, to hold off the disappointments she is bound to bring you."A second example is a quip included in Clive James's profile of Altenberg in "Cultural Amnesia":a young woman with whom he had struck up an intimate relationship reproached him because his interest in her was based only ("nur") on sexual attraction; Altenburg replied, "Was ist so nur?" ("What's so only?").

TELEGRAMS OF THE SOUL is scarcely essential reading, but it does illuminate, at first hand, the indolence and decadence that marked much of Vienna in the two decades before WWI, and it also reflects (albeit in shadow) one of the more distinctive souls of Viennese culture.Finally, I wish to commend the publisher, Archipelago Books, for a very sturdy, reader-friendly, and handsome paperback volume.Three-and-a-half stars, rounded up for the physical quality of this edition.

Haunting Insights
Not well known now, Peter Altenberg has obviously influenced many who followed and read him. His distinctive reflections are often incisive. Particularly memorable are the haunting sections on his involvement with the Hotentots (Bushman) exhibited in a zoo village with his righteous revulsion at their treatment.

SHEER PLEASURE
This is a book designed for the sheer pleasure of reading. Its rough-paper cover is handsome and feels good in the hand, and the stories and vignettes printed within are short and consumable within minutes. In this case the book-buyer is truly a "consumer." There's no plot, no difficulty, no need even to read them in order. You just pick out one after the other and consume it as you please.

Each one takes you back to a time when literature was not hype, not "riveting," not "jaw-dropping," and not "a must read." It was a time when you were thrilled by an author's curious point of view, unexpected turn of phrase and strange semblance of form. You had to read his work because it did something to you, maybe went straight to your heart and mind, and you wanted to feel the way he felt and see the way he saw. It's a different kind of "must read" and a different kind of purpose, so private that you almost hope the book will not find many readers, because the pleasure seems so much your own.

Yet one could find a utilitarian purpose in it. Peter Altenberg walks out in the city and sees people every day or on occasion, in the midst of life. He notes something down at his cafe or goes home with an idea in mind. This he commits to paper as fast as he can to capture the moment. He is convinced that "Everything is remarkable if our perspective of it is remarkable! And every little local incident written up in the daily newspaper can sound the depths of life, revealing all the tragic and the comic, the same as Shakespeare's tragedies!" Once the idea is on paper, it is fixed and he does not touch it again. It has crystallized into a prose poem. Writers constipated with the weight of significance and classes in creative writing burdened with technique could find a lesson here. As I said, it's a different time, when writing a tribute to a beautiful shopkeeper, or a thoughtful prostitute, or a radiant bird is purpose enough.

In TELEGRAMS OF THE SOUL there are quite a few shopkeepers and pretty women, all treated with such a delicate love that you take it into your heart and cannot help but project it onto the quite different women you see in the world today, no less pretentious and no less vulnerable than the anonymous souls of the past. There are also a lot of little girls, perhaps too many. And aristocrats and relatives and historical figures whom Alterberg admires (Franz Schubert). And a few animals besides (kingfisher, lion, agoutis). Some pieces are humorous, such as "Theater Evening," where the author babysits a poodle for a lady that both he and the dog impatiently hope will return; others are cruel, such as "Twelve," where a little girl catches little fish and tosses them on the ground to die, while an old woman to the side mourns for them. Some are reflective, such as "Fellow Man," which begins: "No man can abide another, in matters big or small, he just can't do it, that is his eternally unspoken tragedy." All are unique, so I won't try to paraphrase any more.

The 85 or so prose poems are translated in a fluid and effervescent manner by Peter Wortsman, who does not, like most translators of German, eschew the American idiom. Here we have "for crying out loud," "grin and bear it," "yuck" and even "arghh," bringing the Viennese setting close to home. Wortman also provides a charming afterword describing Altenberg as an overgrown child and ideal subject for Sigmund Freud. He characterizes his works as modern fairytales minus the "once upon a time" and usually the "happily ever after."

As mentioned, the volume is done up beautifully, its brown cover illustrated with a stirring brown-yellow-red portrait of Altenberg done by blazing genius Oskar Kokoschka in his Expressionist period. The back cover contains blurbs--originally words of praise--by Karl Kraus, Franz Kafka and Thomas Mann. Thus the little-known miniaturist Altenberg appears in the center of the glorious Viennese-Germanic culture that blossomed in the first decades of the twentieth century, and his little stories draw in the other greats of the day--Arthur Schnitzler, Robert Musil, Georg Trakl, Egon Shiele, Gustav Mahler, Arnold Schoenberg, Ludwig Wittgenstein, all those mentioned in the wonderful volume WITTGENSTEIN'S VIENNA by Allan Janik and Stephen Toulmin. And so, after such ease of reading and such excessive literary pleasure, you get a bonus: cultural enrichment. The way it used to be.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Was it all bad?
This biography presents the life and times of Peter Sellerslike a case study of neurosis and unfulfillment.I don't doubt the accuracy of the "tortured soul" treatment the author pursues or the facts of the predicaments Sellers found himself in throughout his life.Failed projects and marriages, poor health and financial woes are on the record.The few instances of joyful periods the author provides though, including examples of sublime artistic creation, are brief and quickly segue into a dismal perspective of their futility.Doesn't seem to me an authentic or rounded depiction of a life, rather a oddly slanted portrayal of a most interesting performer.

Biography is a dangerous game, Cynthia
Biographies (and autobiographies) suffer from one over-riding defect - no-one really knows anyone else completely, or even themselves, so to attempt to accurately describe a person's life is fraught with danger. Interviews with friends and relatives will still only give a slanted oremotionally-coloured idea, either for or against. Yet so many biographiesconfidently claim to be "authorised" or even finite - I wonder attheir courage and impudence.However, if reading every biography you canget hold of about someone enables you to find a path somewhere in betweenall the lines, you might eventually begin to get a glimmer of what makesthat person who he is. When that person is Peter Sellers, though, you mustremember you shouldn't presume to try and pin down such a complicatedgenius of a man, and always mentally add "maybe" to all your"facts". This book tries hard and the author thinks he is beingscrupulously fair, and it's not a bad effort.Just bear in mind that"authorised" in this case means by the Sellers estate, and thatthe author is a journalist and film critic.

A Biography Worth Reading (for a change)
To write about the life of Peter Sellers is such a complex undertaking that only the best writers should attempt it. To try to understand a man who didn't even understand himself is inviting hubris. However, AlexanderWalker has been a film critic of a leading London newspaper for many yearsand should have some idea of what he's taking on, having met Peter Sellerson a number of occasions and apparently been privileged to have beenconsidered a friend (any real friendship is a privilege). It certainlyreads well, without all the distasteful "muck-raking" with whichother authors have found it necessary to pad their offerings. How accurateany biography (or autobiography for that matter) is, can only be guessedat, but this book appears to be trying honestly to depict and evaluate aman whose genius is only now beginning to be appreciated - rarely in one'sown time or country, sadly. ... Read more

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Film critic Michael Starr surveys Sellers's films in a reminder of the impact the actor had on cinema. ... Read more

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Peter Sellers was a genius, whose unique mastery created enduring comic characters. But behind the man that could make the world laugh was a tragic sadness. Employing his creations as masks to hide behind, Sellers was convinced his own life was meaningless and empty. Acclaimed ("On Sunset Boulevard" - the story of Billy Wilder) biographer Ed Sikov has spoken to many who knew and worked with Sellers, including Sophia Loren, Goldie Hawn, and Roman Polanski. Sikov reveals how Sellers was a casualty of his own insecurities and used his public persona to mask his tormented private life, littered with four marriages (and three divorces), countless affairs, and drug and alcohol abuse. This is the authoritative and touching story of a majestic comedian, showing the very private face of a man whose world was lived through the public arena. 'An authoritative biography and a compulsive page turner.' - Michael Palin, "New York Times". 'Sikov's book is often melancholy, but always informative, and entertaining...They don't really make 'em like that any more - you can't get the wood you know' - Simon Louvish, "Guardian". ... Read more

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The Perfect Title for a Genius!
Peter Sellers was truly a comedic genius and performer. Sadly, his personal problems and his relationships with women and people in general was plagued by his own self-contempt, self-loathing, and insecurities. He only felt like himself when he was other people. Today, he probably would have been under doctor's care and have been treated for depression. Despite his own personal misfortunes and tragedies, Peter Sellers became a huge success, beloved by fans worldwide, and by his colleagues. When he died, Burt Kwouk said "everybody in London felt his loss." It might be fair to say that Peter Sellers was truly gifted and troubled by his own genius even until the end. He was searching for happiness and self-fulfillment all of his life. He might be rest-assured that he was never really alone. There are lot of people who feel the need to hide behind a mask, face, and masquerade in order to develop a personality. He just needed self-esteem. Sadly, his marriages were mostly failures and he never truly found the happiness on earth that he was seeking for here, maybe in the afterlife.

I deducted a star because I believe the book left out his CBE honour by Queen Elizabeth II. He was awarded the CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in 1966 which is one step below knighthood. I felt that should have been included in this book. ... Read more

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A tribute to Peter Sellers, and celebration of his career in comedy. There are tales of behind-the-scenes antics and practical jokes, a list of film appearances, cast and crew notes, and insider gossip. Interviews with Paul Merton, Steve Coogan, Michael Palin and Spike Milligan are also featured. ... Read more