Fame and Obscurity [Paperback]

Gay Talese (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1995

"Fascinating . . . Poignant." The Wall Street Journal

In this extraordinary work of insight and interviews, bestselling author Gay Talese shares with us the lives of those we don't know and those we might wish we did: Frank Sinatra, Joe DiMaggio, Manhattan mobsters, Bowery bums, and many others -- fascinating men and women who define our country's spirit and lead us to an understanding of ourselves as a nation.


From the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

"Fascinating . . . Poignant." The Wall Street Journal

In this extraordinary work of insight and interviews, bestselling author Gay Talese shares with us the lives of those we don't know and those we might wish we did: Frank Sinatra, Joe DiMaggio, Manhattan mobsters, Bowery bums, and many others -- fascinating men and women who define our country's spirit and lead us to an understanding of ourselves as a nation. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Ivy Books (March 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 034546723X
• ISBN-13: 978-0345467232
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.8 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,092,492 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic portraits of DiMaggio, Sinatra, etc., January 14, 2004

By 

fml66 "fml66" (Nashville, TN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fame and Obscurity (Paperback)

I say 4 stars only because of the datedness of some of the material. But the pieces on Frank Sinatra and Joe DiMaggio in this book (both written in 1966) are brilliant and incisive portrayals of a time and states of mind (and of icons in an age when celebrity was in some ways larger than life than it is today and in some ways refreshingly not) that are both long gone.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best you can read., May 1, 2010

By 

V. O. Camposeco (Mexico) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Fame and Obscurity (Paperback)

Non fiction literature is a USA product, at the most it comes fron the anglosaxon culture. That is why we can say that Gay Talese is The non fiction writer par excellence. The best there is. Yes, there might be better known non fiction writers "names", but no one has a cleaner, precise more efficient prose than Gay Talese. By far he is the best. If one pay attention to the structure and the language of his works you unerstand at least three things: in literature the theme IS NOT the most important part, also we can understand how non fiction most be written and the importance that these fourth genre has nowadays. Pure fiction works seems to be declining in front of non fiction. Except storys out of these world (Avatar, Harry Potter, et al). Maybe we have had enough fiction, after all real life has proven that the best storys are next door and the best characters are walking in the neighbourhood. Gay Talese's works are an impeccable argument. Yes, there is also Mailer, Wolfe, Krakauer, Didion...

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best piece of journalism, October 15, 2011

By 

aabraga (Porto Alegre, Brazil) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fame and Obscurity (Paperback)

The best piece of journalist I ever saw. From the first to the last page this book has a flowing narrative that is enjoyable and addictive at the same time. The way he depicts the characters (all real) and gathers all information in its minimal details has no parallel.