Simon Callow’s “Alternative Autobiography” My Life in Pieces was one of the most exciting books I’ve read in a long time. Hearing stories from behind the curtain about the 1960s–1970s London theater scene was intriguing and delightful. Callow was lucky to get a job at theaters long before his acting career, which gave him both insight and inspiration into the real world of acting. The book is rich with anecdotes encountering theater royalty, and many younger actors who later became household names. The story grows in interest as he moves from observer to dramatic artist, sharing his fascinating experiences as he rises in his own brilliant acting career.

Callow intersperses his narrative with relevant pieces he had written in the past, which fit nicely into the autobiographical storyline. These interspersed biographical pieces were usually about other people (reviews of others’ works, tributes, even obituaries). They were fun in themselves, but they also helped show the progression of Callow’s intellectual life. They could constitute their own “Collected Works” and in fact seemed reminiscent of the late great Lytton Strachey’s “Biographical Essays” from the 1920s (published in 1969). It would be a perfect kind of vehicle for Callow’s biographical essays as well.

John Gielgud is at the center of some of the most memorable anecdotes of Callow’s encounters with the theater’s brightest lights. Callow has written very perceptive analyses and heartfelt reminiscences of Gielgud, as well as some very entertaining anecdotes. I pick those out because they were my favorites. But all of Callow’s essays-within-an-autobiography had that flavor: perceptive and heartfelt. Callow is both sharp observer and compassionate colleague to his subjects. Within the autobiography, they comprise a wonderful book-within-a-book.

Still, first and foremost, there is the autobiography proper. Callow tells a wonderful story that mingles heartache and joy through his own life growing up, gradually becoming an artist. His childhood between London and Rhodesia was partly painful, partly ideal training ground for a future actor, though it may not have felt like it at the time. Callow shined in challenging circumstances, seizing every opportunity to perform and to entertain others. He was honing his craft from toddlerhood. And in the fullness of time, the result became genius.

Callow is, by the most stringent definition of the term, an artist. The common theme throughout his life is art, especially the art of acting. Having seen his amazing one-man shows playing Charles Dickens, and playing Charles Dickens playing Dickensian characters, and having seen Callow in films and TV shows over the years, it made reading his autobiography all the more exciting and rewarding. Callow’s brilliant and sublime talents obviously come from painful, determined dedication and discipline, as well as the true gift that sets great artists apart. Callow is one of those great artists.

Now, having read My Life in Pieces, and having read Callow’s full-length biography of Charles Dickens, I see that his talent equally spills into the literary arts.

If you love the world of theater and acting, or you love a great story, or you just love great writing, I wholeheartedly recommend Simon Callow’s “Alternative Autobiography” My Life in Pieces. ( )

My Life in Pieces is not your typical autobiography. It's a compilation of "pieces" written by the actor Simon Callow for various newspapers, books, programs, memorials, etc. Most of them, of course, revolve around Callow's work in the theatre and on film. If his name isn't familiar to you, his face probably will be, from movies if not the stage: he played the Rev. Mr. Beebe in 'A Room with a View,' Schikaneder/Papageno in 'Amadeus,' and Gareth, the gay man who dies of a heart attack at one of the receptions in 'Four Weddings and a Funeral.' He's also well-known for his one-man show on Charles Dickens, which was televised in the UK and is available on DVD here in the US. Callow presents insightful essays on many of the great actors of the twentieth century, most of whom he has acted with, including Laurence Olivier, Ralph Richardson, Alec Guinness, Paul Scofield, Orson Welles, Vanessa Redgrave, Michael Redgrave, Ian McKellan, and more. In addition, he writes about several directors and playwrights, classic 'schools' and 'methods' of acting, and his own views on the status of acting on today's stage.

Callow is a wonderful writer and a great storyteller. He can be funny, charming, reverent, and insightful--sometimes in the same piece. The stories he tells of working in the theatre are delightful, but they also give one an appreciation for the true art of acting. I listened to this book on audio, and with Callow himself as reader, it was a wonderful experience. I've always thought he was a fine, underrated character actor, and my admiration of his work has grown after reading/listening to these 'pieces.'

Recommended for anyone interested theatre arts. ( )