A Voyage Around the Queen

From one of the funniest writers of our time, the award-winning and Sunday Times bestselling author of One Two Three Four and Ma''am Darling turns his attention to Queen Elizabeth II in an unforgettable and fascinating biography. Virginia Woolf compared her to a caterpillar; Anne Frank kept pictures of her on the wall of her annex; Jimi Hendrix played her tune; Haile Selassie gave her a gold tiara; Dirk Bogarde watched Death in Venice with her; Andy Warhol envied her fame; Donald Trump offended her; E.M. Forster confessed he would have married her, if only she had been a boy. Queen Elizabeth II was famous for longer than anyone who has ever lived. When people spoke of her, they spoke of themselves; when they dreamed of her, they dreamed of themselves. She mirrored their hopes and anxieties. To the optimist, she seemed an optimist; to the pessimist, a pessimist; to the awestruck, charismatic; and to the cynical, humdrum. Though by nature reserved and unassuming, her presence could fill presidents and rock gods with terror. For close to a century, she inhabited the psyche of a nation. Combining biography, essays, cultural history, dream diaries, travelogue and satire, the bestselling and award-winning author of Ma''am Darling and One Two Three Four: The Beatles in Time presents a kaleidoscopic portrait of this most public yet private of sovereigns. ''An enthralling reverie on memory, identity, coincidence and meaning - testing, teasing, charming, moving and deceptively wise'' Rory Stewart, author of Politics On the Edge

About the author

Craig Brown has been writing the parodic celebrity diary for Private Eye since 1989. He has written for a widevariety of publications, including the Daily Mail, the Guardian, the New Statesman and the Spectator. His books include One Two Three Four: The Beatles in Time, which won the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction, and Ma’am Darling, which won the James Tait Black award.

Product details

• Authors: Craig Brown
• Publisher: Fourth Estate
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 29.08.2024
• EAN: 9780008557492
• ISBN: 978-0-00-855749-2
• Dimensions: 159 mm x 240 mm x 45 mm
• Subjects: Fiction > Narrative literature > Letters, diaries; Non-fiction book > Philosophy, religion > Biographies, autobiographies; London, Greater London, Popular Culture, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Popular Culture, Postwar 20th century history, from c 1945 to c 2000, BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Royalty, Social & cultural history, BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Presidents & Heads of State, HISTORY / Women, HUMOR / Topic / Celebrity & Popular Culture, 21st Century, Biography: royalty, Autobiography: royalty, Later 20th century c 1950 to c 1999, Social and cultural history, Early 21st century c 2000 to c 2050, c 1945 to c 2000 (Post-war period)