Florence Foster Jenkins
The biography that inspired the critically-acclaimed film
Biography & Memoir, Entertainment & Performing Arts
| Author: | Nicholas Martin, Jasper Rees | ISBN: | 9781250115966 |
| Publisher: | St. Martin's Press | Publication: | July 12, 2016 |
| Imprint: | St. Martin's Griffin | Language: | English |
| Author: | Nicholas Martin, Jasper Rees |
| ISBN: | 9781250115966 |
| Publisher: | St. Martin's Press |
| Publication: | July 12, 2016 |
| Imprint: | St. Martin's Griffin |
| Language: | English |
Florence Foster Jenkins was the most famous, though untalented, soprano in twentieth century America. Her extraordinary story is now a film directed by Stephen Frears starring Meryl Streep as the indomitable Florence Foster Jenkins and Hugh Grant as her husband/manager, St. Clair Bayfield. In this full-length biography tie-in to the film, Nicholas Martin, the scriptwriter, and Jasper Rees take a deeper look at her life and times. Born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania in 1868, Florence adored music, but her wealthy father refused to allow her to study in Europe. In 1909, she inherited a considerable sum of money when her father died. It was then that she began to take singing lessons, vowed to become a great soprano and met St Clair Bayfield. At seventy six, after a lifetime supporting classical music societies and giving self-financed recitals, she gave a solo concert at Carnegie Hall that drew Cole Porter, Gypsy Rose Lee and other luminaries to the sold-out hall. It was a night to remember. Florence felt she had triumphed, but the crowd roared with laughter. After a lifetime of singing to entertain others, she didn’t know the one thing that everyone else did and that St. Clair Bayfield kept from her: she had a terrible voice and couldn’t sing a note. Florence Foster Jenkins is the book everyone will be reading after Meryl Streep brings this unintentionally funny and ultimately heartbreaking American woman to life.
Florence Foster Jenkins was the most famous, though untalented, soprano in twentieth century America. Her extraordinary story is now a film directed by Stephen Frears starring Meryl Streep as the indomitable Florence Foster Jenkins and Hugh Grant as her husband/manager, St. Clair Bayfield. In this full-length biography tie-in to the film, Nicholas Martin, the scriptwriter, and Jasper Rees take a deeper look at her life and times. Born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania in 1868, Florence adored music, but her wealthy father refused to allow her to study in Europe. In 1909, she inherited a considerable sum of money when her father died. It was then that she began to take singing lessons, vowed to become a great soprano and met St Clair Bayfield. At seventy six, after a lifetime supporting classical music societies and giving self-financed recitals, she gave a solo concert at Carnegie Hall that drew Cole Porter, Gypsy Rose Lee and other luminaries to the sold-out hall. It was a night to remember. Florence felt she had triumphed, but the crowd roared with laughter. After a lifetime of singing to entertain others, she didn’t know the one thing that everyone else did and that St. Clair Bayfield kept from her: she had a terrible voice and couldn’t sing a note. Florence Foster Jenkins is the book everyone will be reading after Meryl Streep brings this unintentionally funny and ultimately heartbreaking American woman to life.
