the life and many deaths of harry houdini

Born Ehrich Weiss in Hungary and raised in Wisconsin, Houdini mythologized his impoverished childhood and early career in countless interviews and publicity notices. This deﬁ nitive biography allows readers to peer into Houdini's psyche and understand him more deeply than ever before.Houdini's fame is so great that he is more a metaphor for magical escape than a man, but Brandon's (The New Women and the Old Men, 1990) biography readably explores both his act's archetypal appeal and his obsessive personality. Brandon reveals much that is new: how Houdini invented a phantom son why he wrote long daily letters to his wife, Bess, who lived one ﬂ oor below him his combative relations with mediums and spiritualists, including Arthur Conan Doyle and the ﬁ rst full description of his fabled death. In this widely acclaimed biography, Ruth Brandon shows how Houdini's obsession with his own mortality drove him to create death-defying stunts that not only captivated the public but also subdued his own raging psychological demons.Īs Brandon relates Houdini's methods of escape, she asks: What was he trying to escape from? Her exploration of the psychic landscape of one of the most enduringly famous performers of the twentieth century makes for utterly fascinating reading. For master illusionist Harry Houdini, the two were inextricably linked.

This de?nitive biography allows readers to peer into Houdinis psyche and understand him more deeply than ever before.įor many performers, stage life and real life are separate identities. Brandon reveals much that is new: how Houdini invented a phantom son why he wrote long daily letters to his wife, Bess, who lived one ?oor below him his combative relations with mediums and spiritualists, including Arthur Conan Doyle and the ?rst full description of his fabled death. In this widely acclaimed biography, Ruth Brandon shows how Houdini's obsession with his own mortality drove him to create death-defying stunts that not only captivated the public but also subdued his own raging psychological demons.Īs Brandon relates Houdinis methods of escape, she asks: What was he trying to escape from? Her exploration of the psychic landscape of one of the most enduringly famous performers of the twentieth century makes for utterly fascinating reading. For many performers, stage life and real life are separate identities.

The life and many deaths of harry houdini