{"product_id":"leading-men-paperback","title":"Leading Men - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eChristopher Castellani\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAn expansive yet intimate story of desire, artistic ambition, and fidelity, set in the glamorous literary and film circles of 1950s Italy\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn July of 1953, at a glittering party thrown by Truman Capote in Portofino, Italy, Tennessee Williams and his longtime lover Frank Merlo meet Anja Blomgren, a mysterious young Swedish beauty and aspiring actress. Their encounter will go on to alter all of their lives. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eTen years later, Frank revisits the tempestuous events of that fateful summer from his deathbed in Manhattan, where he waits anxiously for Tennessee to visit him one final time. Anja, now legendary film icon Anja Bloom, lives as a recluse in present-day America, until a young man connected to the events of 1953 lures her reluctantly back into the spotlight after he discovers she possesses the only copy of an unknown play--Tennessee's last. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWhat keeps two people together and what breaks them apart? Can we save someone else if we can't save ourselves? With emotional clarity and grace, \u003ci\u003eLeading Men\u003c\/i\u003e seamlessly weaves fact and fiction to navigate the tensions between public figures and their private lives. In an ultimately heartbreaking story about the burdens of fame and the complex negotiations of life in the shadows of greatness, Castellani creates an unforgettable leading lady in Anja Bloom and reveals the hidden machinery of one of the great literary love stories of the twentieth-century.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eChristopher Castellani\u003c\/b\u003e is the author of three previous novels (the trilogy \u003ci\u003eA Kiss from Maddalena, The Saint of Lost Things\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eAll This Talk of Love\u003c\/i\u003e) and \u003ci\u003eThe Art of Perspective\u003c\/i\u003e, a book of essays on the craft of fiction. He is the son of Italian immigrants, a Guggenheim fellow, and the artistic director of GrubStreet, one of the country's leading creative writing centers. He lives in Boston.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 368\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.9 x 8.3 x 5.5 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e May 26, 2020\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42163492683911,"sku":"9780525559078","price":22.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0601\/2623\/2711\/files\/304630e17c91b17a75de6d4f99581022.webp?v=1733297791","url":"https:\/\/booksby.splitshops.com\/products\/leading-men-paperback","provider":"Books by splitShops","version":"1.0","type":"link"}