James Kaplan – författare

Frank Sinatra was the best-known entertainer of the twentieth century—infinitely charismatic, lionized and notorious in equal measure. But despite his mammoth fame, Sinatra the man has remained an enigma.  Now James Kaplan brings deeper insight than ever before to the complex psyche and turbulent life behind that incomparable voice, from Sinatra’s humble beginning in Hoboken to his fall from grace and Oscar-winning return in From Here to Eternity. Here at last is the biographer who makes the reader feel what it was really like to be Frank Sinatra—as man, as musician, as tortured genius.

''At last, Sinatra has the biography he deserves'' - The Irish TimesFrank Sinatra was the best-known entertainer of his century - infinitely charismatic, more legendary and notorious than any other public personality of his era. But no matter what you think, you don''t know him.In this critically acclaimed biography, James Kaplan reveals how Sinatra made listening to pop music a more personal experience than it had ever been. We relive the years 1915 to 1954 in vibrant detail, experiencing as if for the first time Sinatra''s journey from the streets of Hoboken, his fall from the summit of celebrity, and his Oscar-winning return in From Here to Eternity. Here is the book that, finally, gets under his skin.

Just in time for the Chairman''s centennial, the endlessly absorbing sequel to James Kaplan''s bestselling Frank: The VoiceFinally the definitive biography that Frank Sinatra, justly termed ''The Entertainer of the Century,'' deserves and requires. Like Peter Guralnick on Elvis, Kaplan goes behind the legend to give us the man in full, in his many guises and aspects: peerless singer, (sometimes) powerful actor, business mogul, tireless lover and associate of the powerful and infamous.In 2010''s Frank: The Voice, James Kaplan, in rich, distinctive, compulsively-readable prose, told the story of Frank Sinatra''s meteoric rise to fame, subsequent failures, and reinvention as a star of the stage and screen. The story of ''Ol'' Blue Eyes; continues with Sinatra: The Chairman, picking up the day after Frank claimed his Academy Award in 1954 and had reestablished himself as the top recording artist in music. Frank''s life post-Oscar was incredibly dense: in between recording albums and singles, he often shot four or five movies a year; did TV show and nightclub appearances; started his own label, Reprise; and juggled his considerable commercial ventures (movie production, the restaurant business, even prizefighter management) alongside his famous and sometimes notorious social activities and commitments.