BELIEVE ME. A Memoir of Love, Death, and Jazz Chickens

New York: Blue Rider Press, 2017. First edition. Hardcover. A near fine copy in a near fine dust jacket. Over the course of a thirty-year career, Eddie Izzard has proved himself to be a creative chameleon, inhabiting the stage and film and television screen with an unbelievable fervor. Born in Yemen and raised in Northern Ireland Wales, and England, he lost his mother at the age of six. A devastating event that affected the rest of his life. In his teens he dropped out of university and took to the streets of London as part of a comedy double act. When his partner went on vacation, Izzard kept busy by inventing a one-man escape act, and thus a solo career was ignited. As a stand-up comedian, Izzard has captivated audiences with his surreal, stream-of-consciousness comedy lines such as; "Cake or Death." "Death Star Canteen," and "Do you Have a Flag?" have the status of great rock lyrics. Writing with the same candor and insight evident in his comedy, he relects on a childhood marked by the loss of his mother, boarding school, and alternative sexuality, as well as a life in comedy, film, politics, running and philanthropy. Honest and generous. 348 pages. Illustrated from photographs.