'Probably the most complete and absolute lack of talent ever publicly
displayed in Manhattan.'
Life magazine.
Madame Jenkins couldn't carry a
tune in a bucket: despite that, in 1944 at the age of 76, she played
Carnegie Hall to a capacity audience and had celebrity fans by the
score. Her infamous 1940s recordings are still highly-prized today. In
his well-researched and thoroughly entertaining biography, Darryl W.
Bullock tells of Florence Foster Jenkins meteoric rise to success and
the man who stood beside her, through every sharp note. Florence was
ridiculed for her poor control of timing, pitch, and tone, and terrible
pronunciation of foreign lyrics, but the sheer entertainment value of
her caterwauling packed out theatres around the United States, with the
'singer' firmly convinced of her own talent, partly thanks to the
devoted attention from her husband and manager St Clair Bayfield.
Her
story is one of triumph in the face of adversity, of courage, conviction
and of the belief that with dedication and commitment a true artist can
achieve anything.With a major Hollywood movie about her life currently
in production (starring Meryl Streep, Hugh Grant and Simon Helberg), the
genius of Florence Foster Jenkins is about to be discovered by a whole
new audience.
'Listening to her pathetic bleating is something like eavesdropping on a
padded cell inmate.'
Billboard magazine
Boktitel: Florence Foster Jenkins : The Life of the World's Worst Opera Singer Författare: Darryl W Bullock Bokförlag: Duckworth Overlook
Källa: Bokförlaget
Darryl W Bullock
Florence Foster Jenkins
Meryl Streep gestaltar Florence Foster Jenkins i den nya filmen om sagda dam. Filmen har premiär den 26 augusti.