Bobby Darin: Roman Candle

by David Evanier

A multilayered portrait of this brash, gifted artist, whose restless voice and spirit seem as alive today as ever.

A performer who rivaled Sinatra, Bobby Darin rose from dire poverty to become one of the biggest stars of his generation. Dogged by chronic illness, he knew that time was not on his side, and so, in a career full of dizzying twists and turns, he did it all, moving from teen idol to Vegas song-and-dance man, from hipster to folkie and back. In this biography, David Evanier offers a multilayered portrait of this brash, gifted artist, including the dark side of his celebrated marriage to America's sweetheart, Sandra Dee, and the incredible family secret that tore him apart at the end.

272 pages, Paperback

Published May 1, 2025

About the author

David Evanier is a critically acclaimed and award-winning author of both nonfiction and fiction. He was formerly senior editor at The Paris Review, editor at Stage Door, and assistant editor of The New Leader. He is a recipient of the Aga Khan Fiction Prize and the McGinnis-Ritchie Short Fiction Award. He has written for The New York Times (including Paper Cuts, its music blog), The New York Times Sunday Magazine, The Village Voice, the New Republic, The Nation, and many other journals. He has received residence fellowship from the MacDowell Colony, Ado, and the Wurlitzer Foundation. He lives in Brooklyn, NY. "