![]() However, there was actually another accomplished and respected magician in Houdini’s very own familyįerenc Dezső Weisz, Houdini’s younger brother, had performed with his superstar sibling earlier in his career. Many today consider Houdini to be the very last word in magic and illusions. Houdini’s brother was also an accomplished magician. ![]() Word spread, crowds grew, and he came to be known as “The King of Handcuffs!” While in Europe, he practiced refining his skills as an escape artist. It was then that he was sent on a European and United States tour by Martin Beck, a big industry name. At the close of the 19 th century, he was struggling to support himself as a performer and almost decided to open a school of magic instead. Harry Houdini was first known as “The King Of Handcuffs.”īorn Erik Weisz, Harry Houdini went by a different stage name in the early stages of his remarkable career. From his feats in the field of aviation to his work in the field of spiritualism, here are some of the most fascinating and unbelievable facts about Harry Houdini’s extraordinary life. Posnanski takes us on a joyous, thrilling, and, yes, magical journey to discover why Houdini endures-and what he still has to teach the world about wonder.Even more astonishingly, this is just scratching the surface of his story. No one has withstood the test of time quite like Houdini.įueled by Posnanski's personal obsession with the magician-and magic itself- The Life and Afterlife of Harry Houdini is a poignant odyssey of discovery, blending biography, memoir, and first-person reporting to trace Houdini's metamorphosis into an iconic figure who has inspired millions. His incredible transformation from Ehrich Weiss, humble Hungarian immigrant and rabbi's son, into the self-named Harry Houdini has won him a slice of immortality. It is also about the power of imagination and self-invention. In California, an actor and Vietnam War veteran finds purpose in his life by uncovering the secrets of his hero.īut the unique phenomenon of Houdini was always more than his death-defying stunts or his ability to escape handcuffs and straitjackets. In Australia, an eight-year-old boy with a learning impediment feels worthless until he sees an old poster of Houdini advertising "Nothing on earth can hold Houdini prisoner," and begins his path to becoming that nation's most popular magician. ![]() In rural Pennsylvania, a thirteen-year-old girl finds the courage to leave a violent home after learning that Houdini ran away to join the circus she eventually becomes the first female magician to saw a man in half on television. His sweeping afterlife is no less fascinating. Filled with false histories and improbable facts, Houdini's life is an irresistible contradiction. Posnanski immerses himself in Houdini's past and present, visiting landmarks, museums (including one owned by Copperfield), attractions, and private archives. ![]() In The Life and Afterlife of Harry Houdini, award-winning journalist and #1 New York Times bestselling author Joe Posnanski enters Houdini World to understand why the magician still enthralls people. Every generation produces new disciples of the magician, from household names in magic like David Copperfield and David Blaine to countless other followers whose lives have been transformed by the power of Houdini. The dog who vanishes and reappears in the neighbor's garden? Houdini. The baby who frees herself from her crib? Houdini. The name Houdini still leaps to mind whenever we witness a daring escape. Nearly a century after Harry Houdini died on Halloween in 1926, he feels as modern and alive as ever. Print The Life and Afterlife of Harry HoudiniĪward-winning journalist and New York Times bestselling author Joe Posnanski enters the world of Harry Houdini and his legions of devoted fans in an immersive, entertaining, and magical work on the illusionist's impact on American culture-and why his legacy endures to this day.
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