Baron Philippe: The Very Candid Autobiography of Baron Phillippe de Rothschild

by Joan Littlewood, Phillippe de Rothschild

The memoir of the heir to the Rothschild wine dynasty recounts his wild boyhood, management of the vineyards at age twenty, confiscation of property and imprisonment during the Nazi years, and the renewal of the family fortunes

Genres: Biography

329 pages, Hardcover

First published January 9, 1985

About the author

Joan Maud Littlewood was an English theatre director who trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and is best known for her work in developing the Theatre Workshop. She has been called "The Mother of Modern Theatre". Her production of Oh, What a Lovely War! in 1963 was one of her more influential pieces.

Littlewood and her company lived and slept in the Theatre Royal while it was restored. Productions of The Alchemist and Richard II, the latter starring Harry H. Corbett in the title role, established the reputation of the company.

She also conceived and developed the concept of the Fun Palace in collaboration with architect Cedric Price, an experimental model of a participatory social environment that, although never realized, has become an important influence in the architecture of the 20th and 21st centuries.

Reviews

[Nina · Rating 3 out of 5]

329 pages

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very entertaining, self-serving autobiography, full of Rothschild and wine world anecdotes.