Book description
Harold Robbins, the godfather of the airport novel, changed the
face of publishing with classics such as The Carpetbaggers,
The Dream Merchants and The Lonely Lady. His readers
loved his steamy tales of money, soft porn, drugs, corruption, greed
and, just sometimes, redemption. The world's first playboy writer,
Robbins reportedly frittered away million on fast cars, loose women
and high living. But, obsessed with fame and fortune, Robbins was a
deeply complex and often controversial man, and even his closest
friends and lovers could only guess at the past of the man behind the
perma-tanned mask and gigantic mirrored sunglasses. This is the
fascinating story of his extraordinary life.
Andrew Wilson remembers secretly reading Harold Robbins as a
teenager, and has spoken to many friends, lovers and enemies of this
most provocative of writers. Wilson's other books are the award-winning
Beautiful Shadow: A Life of Patricia Highsmith
, and the novel
The Lying Tongue
.