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Dead Famous
- An Unexpected History of Celebrity from Bronze Age to Silver Screen
- Narrated by: Greg Jenner
- Length: 12 hrs and 47 mins
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Dead Famous
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Summary
Celebrity, with its neon glow and selfie pout, strikes us as hypermodern. But the famous and infamous have been thrilling, titillating and outraging us for much longer than we might realise. Whether it was the scandalous Lord Byron, whose poetry sent female fans into an erotic frenzy; or the cheetah-owning, coffin-sleeping, one-legged French actress Sarah Bernhardt, who launched a violent feud with her former best friend; or Edmund Kean, the dazzling Shakespearean actor whose monstrous ego and terrible alcoholism saw him nearly murdered by his own audience - the list of stars whose careers burned bright before the Age of Television is extensive and thrillingly varied.
Celebrities could be heroes or villains; warriors or murderers; brilliant talents, or fraudsters with a flair for fibbing; trendsetters, wilful provocateurs, or tragic victims marketed as freaks of nature. Some craved fame while others had it forced upon them. A few found fame as small children, some had to wait decades to get their break. But uniting them all is the shared origin point: since the early 1700s, celebrity has been one of the most emphatic driving forces in popular culture; it is a lurid cousin to Ancient Greek ideas of glorious and notorious reputation and its emergence helped to shape public attitudes to ethics, national identity, religious faith, wealth, sexuality and gender roles.
In this ambitious history, that spans the Bronze Age to the coming of Hollywood's Golden Age, Greg Jenner assembles a vibrant cast of over 125 actors, singers, dancers, sportspeople, freaks, demigods, ruffians and more, in search of celebrity's historical roots. He reveals why celebrity burst into life in the early 18th century, how it differs to ancient ideas of fame, the techniques through which it was acquired, how it was maintained, the effect it had on public tastes and the psychological burden stardom could place on those in the glaring limelight. Dead Famous is a surprising, funny and fascinating exploration of both a bygone age and how we came to inhabit our modern, fame obsessed society.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio on our Desktop Site.
Critic reviews
"Fizzes with clever vignettes and juicy tidbits....[a] joyous romp of a book." (Guardian)
"A magical mystery tour through the history of celebrity - eye opening, provocative, triumphant." (Kate Williams, best-selling author and historian)
"A fascinating, rollicking book in search of why, where and how fame strikes. Sit back and enjoy the ride." (Peter Frankopan)
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What listeners say about Dead Famous
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- Thomas C.
- 19-05-20
Perfectly Balanced
Dead Famous is a perfectly balanced reflection on celebrity through the ages. Greg Jenner expertly shows that, when you strip away the social and technological infrastructure, the true essence of celebrity has not changed dramatically since the 18th century. The book’s delicate humour never detracts from the intellect of Jenner’s arguments, even when the reader is confronted with the darker sides of celebrity culture. I would recommend this book to anyone that is interested enough to have read this review!
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4 people found this helpful
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- Button Shiner
- 24-03-20
'What a bunch of stunts' Greg Jenner
Witty, engaging and informative. 'Dead Famous' is rare in the world of the audiobook as it is complemented by being read by its author. I listened to it in two sittings digging the garden while self-isolating, which I guess if nothing else makes it a turf turner. Excellent.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- R. Walter
- 17-01-23
funny and educational
I've not listened to the authors podcasts but I've enjoyed two of his books now and they do feel like a long podcast episode and I mean this as a positive. the book engaged me all the way through and I binged listened to it.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- ValaDrew
- 04-04-20
An Very Interesting Read
What a great book which I binge listened to over two days. Full of fascinating characters that I would love to read more about, a fall down the rabbit hole of celebrity.
Thanks to Greg Jenner for the clear reading, although it was hard not to shout 'nuance window' every time the word nuance was uttered.
Great book. Thanks.
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6 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Mister Embroiderer
- 28-03-20
Fascinating and informative
I listen to a lot of audio books whilst I work. This grabbed my attention and made the hours fly past. I honestly feel I have been introduced to a plethora of fascinating characters. I love the style of good cheer and humour that welcomes the listener. Jenner has always been fantastically entertaining in his podcasts, making history accessible and seductive. I had high expectations and the book exceeded these. This book obviously synthesises an incredible breadth of research and he uses a concise chapter structure to lead the listener through a complex theory in manageable chunks. It is open ended with lots of strands to pursue. Hard to listen to without wanting to Google these celebrities to see just what they looked like. Thoroughly recommend it.
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- Steven
- 01-07-20
Funny and fascinating
Highly recommend this book. Some amazing tales and it's all told very well. Accessible history.
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- Mr. N. B. Cherry
- 11-08-21
You're Read To Me ;o)
Similar to the author's BBC radio history programmes but longer and with fewer corny jokes.
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- Lauren Short
- 15-12-21
Greg Jenner is brilliant once again 🙌🏻
Absolutely loved listening to Dead Famous. Greg Jenner has such a brilliant ability to take a vast amount of factual information and make it fun and engaging the whole way through. He makes history accessible and enjoyable for all and I couldn’t love his work more!
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- Anonymous User
- 13-02-23
As someone who doesn’t normally enjoy fiction - this was brilliant!
I love you’re dead to me and horrible histories; when I was at school history was always so murderously boring and always talked about the same things. World war 2 is pretty much the only thing I remember covering. That and ‘slavery abolition’ which was hideously white centric and basically spoke to the fact that apparently the rich west ‘saved everyone’ when in reality this couldn’t be further from the truth. I’ve always hated the way in which the history taught to us at school was completely biased and brainwashed young people to take a mainly heroic approach to other cultures problems and this is where Greg Jenner has brought history back into the limelight. He makes it fun, interesting, exciting! He doesn’t skim over the parts where exploitation occurred, whether that be young celebrities, POC, foreign nationals, men, women, anyone. It’s really refreshing and educating and everyone needs him in their life. I LOVE learning about history now, and this audiobook is so unmonotonous and diverse in its approach that I’ve actually been able to retain a lot of the facts in my head which lead to really interesting conversations in real life! I will be reading his next book asap!
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- Angel R.
- 20-05-20
Such an interesting topic!
I would highly recommend this book! The way Jenner portrays these past celebrities is clear and distinct and it is so interesting to hear their stories.
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1 person found this helpful