Synopses & Reviews
One of the most revered essayists and novelists of his generation, Frederic Morton has captured with matchless immediacy the glamour of Vienna before World War I and the storied opulence of the Rothschild family in his bestselling and award-winning works. Now, in his first book in more than fifteen years, he delivers a luminous look at his own unique pursuit of the American dream.
Like many Austrian boys in 1936, the author idolizes Fritz Austerlitz, the Austrian American who went to Hollywood and emerged as Fred Astaire. When his family is forced to flee Vienna, Fritz Mandelbaum becomes Fred Morton and immigrates to New York City. Though he does not learn English until he is sixteen years old, Morton nonetheless goes on to succeed as a writer. The author sets out ten scenes from his pilgrim life and his remarkable road to success: from watching a poorly dubbed Astaire in Vienna to delivering apricot tarts as a baker's assistant in New York; from Salt Lake City where as a young English instructor he met Vladimir Nabokov to a Christmas spent with the Rothschilds at Chand#226;teau Mouton.
Runaway Waltz is a soulful, beautifully written portrait of one man's extraordinary quest for fulfillment and enduring transformation.
Review
"This is an elegant and moving story of the coming to America of Frederic Morton, a masterful writer whose
Runaway Waltz is a tour de force."
-- Gay Talese
Review
"A compelling memoir. No one has written more effectively about the fascinating -- and disjunction -- life of the and#233;migrand#233; in America."
-- Bruce Jay Friedman
Synopsis
This deeply personal work is the riveting memoir of the author's harrowing flight form Vienna to New York City on the eve of World War II. Though he does not learn English until he is 19, he goes on to succeed as a writer and essayist.