Peter Ustinov Libri

To its devotees, opera is the most sublime of arts. It is also one of the most accident prone, and when things go wrong, they tend to do so on a grand scale. Great Operatic Disasters records some of the most memorable calamities from opera houses around the world. Most of them are true, some have been embroidered over the years, and a few, well, se non e vero, e ben trovato.

Peter Ustinov was revered as one of the world's truly legendary entertainers. As an actor, producer, director, novelist, playwright, and columnist, his body of work was not only vast and thoroughly impressive, but enduring. Add a Dash of Pity, a superb collection of short stories, shows Sir Peter at his narrative, perceptive best. Ustinov possessed the uncommon ability to amuse and touch readers simultaneously, a talent which has nowhere been better displayed than in this fascinating array of short stories, which includes: "The Man Who Took It Easy," "The Wingless Icarus," "The Man in the Moon," "A Place in the Shade," "A Word in the World's Ear," "There Are 43,200 Seconds in a Day," "The Aftertaste," and the title piece, "Add a Dash of Pity."

Of all the big men in the small Midwest town, Chief of Police Bartram T. Krumnagel was the biggest. A physical giant with an unbeatable talent for wrongful arrest, he kept the streets safe by shooting on sight. But how would such a stout defender of American liberty fare on foreign soil?

The improbable, and strangely sympathetic, hero of The Loser is Hans Winterschild, who was born just in time to reach manhood in the Hitler years. His father was a colonel in WWI; his brother-in-law is an SS officer. Hans falls in love with a 16-year-old prostitute -- a sad, lost creature who will affect Hans' life forever.

Peter Ustinov's brilliant collection of short stories.

Peter Ustinov was famous for his many talents but it was his skill as a storyteller that stood out above all else. Life is an Operetta is a delightful collection containing nine stunning examples of Ustinov's narrative gift.The title story illustrates beautifully Ustinov's ability to weave pointed observations into his fiction. "Life is an Operetta" features a young woman, Mitzi, who is obsessed with the stage but poor at choosing lovers, so much so that the one man who can provide her with security and support is the one who is always left behind.Readers are offered a tour of the old country and an education in European tradition as the locations of the stories range from Australia, through Spain and France, to the Italian railway carriage of "God and the State Railways," while the characters are equally varied in personality and social status. Combining Ustinov's telling wit and deep understanding of human frailty, Life is an Operetta sparkles with keen perception and a storyteller's delight in presenting well-crafted tales. Also included are "The Frontiers of the Sea," "The Swiss Watch," "Dreams of Papua," "The Assassins," "The Gift of a Dog," "The Silken Dagger," and the tale of a man lost in his own homeland, "The Loneliness of Billiwoonga."

The hilarious and riveting autobiography from the late, great Sir Peter Ustinov. Dear Me spans his extraordinary career as actor, playwright, film star and director.