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Hai că am reușit, puștiule
Sir Anthony Hopkins își explorează cu onestitate și emoție cariera remarcabilă din film și teatru, copilăria dificilă și drumul spre vindecare.
Născut și crescut în Port Talbot – un mic oraș galez al oțelăriilor – Hopkins a trăit printre bărbați duri, care respingeau orice formă de vulnerabilitate. Era considerat un elev mediocru, fără viitor, dar destinul i s-a schimbat într-o seară de sâmbătă, când a văzut adaptarea din 1948 a piesei Hamlet. Acela a fost momentul care i-a aprins pasiunea pentru actorie.
Cu o sinceritate dezarmantă, Hopkins rememorează momentele definitorii ale carierei sale: debutul la Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, sub aripa lui Laurence Olivier, întâlnirile cu Richard Burton, rolurile legendare precum Hannibal Lecter sau Regele Lear, în care a transformat tăcerea și stoicismul tatălui său în emoție pură.
El vorbește deschis și despre prăbușiri: dependența care i-a ruinat prima căsnicie și aproape că i-a curmat viața – o luptă ce l-a condus către sobrietate, pe care o păstrează de aproape cincizeci de ani. În singurătate și reflecție, se confruntă cu întrebările despre fragilitatea umană și despre ceea ce tatăl său numea Marele Secret.
Îmbogățită cu o selecție de fotografii personale, „Hai că am reușit, puștiule” este confesiunea sinceră și profundă a unui om complex, care a redefinit arta actoriei și a inspirat generații, timp de peste șase decenii.
„E multă putere și multă fragilitate în cartea asta, care nu e doar povestea unui mare actor, ci anatomia unui spirit cu adevărat extraordinar.“ (Marian Coman)
Născut și crescut în Port Talbot – un mic oraș galez al oțelăriilor – Hopkins a trăit printre bărbați duri, care respingeau orice formă de vulnerabilitate. Era considerat un elev mediocru, fără viitor, dar destinul i s-a schimbat într-o seară de sâmbătă, când a văzut adaptarea din 1948 a piesei Hamlet. Acela a fost momentul care i-a aprins pasiunea pentru actorie.
Cu o sinceritate dezarmantă, Hopkins rememorează momentele definitorii ale carierei sale: debutul la Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, sub aripa lui Laurence Olivier, întâlnirile cu Richard Burton, rolurile legendare precum Hannibal Lecter sau Regele Lear, în care a transformat tăcerea și stoicismul tatălui său în emoție pură.
El vorbește deschis și despre prăbușiri: dependența care i-a ruinat prima căsnicie și aproape că i-a curmat viața – o luptă ce l-a condus către sobrietate, pe care o păstrează de aproape cincizeci de ani. În singurătate și reflecție, se confruntă cu întrebările despre fragilitatea umană și despre ceea ce tatăl său numea Marele Secret.
Îmbogățită cu o selecție de fotografii personale, „Hai că am reușit, puștiule” este confesiunea sinceră și profundă a unui om complex, care a redefinit arta actoriei și a inspirat generații, timp de peste șase decenii.
„E multă putere și multă fragilitate în cartea asta, care nu e doar povestea unui mare actor, ci anatomia unui spirit cu adevărat extraordinar.“ (Marian Coman)
320 pages, Paperback
First published October 28, 2025
1103 people are currently reading
9570 people want to read
About the author
Anthony Hopkins
23 books105 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins, is a Welsh actor of film, stage, and television, and a composer and painter. After graduating from the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama in 1957, he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, and was then spotted by Laurence Olivier who invited him to join the Royal National Theater. In 1968, he got his break in film in The Lion in Winter, playing Richard I.
Considered to be one of the greatest living actors, Hopkins is well known for his portrayal of Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor, its sequel Hannibal, and the prequel Red Dragon. Other notable films include The Mask of Zorro, The Bounty, Meet Joe Black, The Elephant Man, Magic, 84 Charing Cross Road, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Legends of the Fall, Thor, The Remains of the Day, Amistad, Nixon, The World's Fastest Indian, Instinct, and Fracture.(-wiki)
Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins, is a Welsh actor of film, stage, and television, and a composer and painter. After graduating from the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama in 1957, he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, and was then spotted by Laurence Olivier who invited him to join the Royal National Theater. In 1968, he got his break in film in The Lion in Winter, playing Richard I.
Considered to be one of the greatest living actors, Hopkins is well known for his portrayal of Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor, its sequel Hannibal, and the prequel Red Dragon. Other notable films include The Mask of Zorro, The Bounty, Meet Joe Black, The Elephant Man, Magic, 84 Charing Cross Road, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Legends of the Fall, Thor, The Remains of the Day, Amistad, Nixon, The World's Fastest Indian, Instinct, and Fracture.(-wiki)
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November 15, 2025always interesting to read about actors and their journey.
January 9, 2026
I am a huge fan of an autobiography that is self reflective and insightful…. Not just telling the stories of someone’s life. Anthony Hopkins’ book is just that. He is raw, he’s honest and he weaves this through every chapter. Not only is he an amazing actor, but he’s an engaging and entertaining storyteller, and this book is a masterpiece that will live on forever. 5 solid stars!
November 21, 2025
I've always admired Anthony Hopkins and his work. This memoir offered a wonderful glimpse into the man behind the spotlight. Throughout the book, Hopkins reflected on the roles he embraced and made his own, both on the screen and the stage. He elevated each character with the details that made them believable and memorable and that in turn made Hopkins himself impossible to forget.
I completely enjoyed the parts where he opens up about his family, his early experiences in acting, his journey to stardom, his alcoholism, and his other struggles. His success never felt like a matter of being in the right place at the right time. He clearly had the talent, discipline, and the presence to support every opportunity that came his way. He still remembered a lot of his lines from early on....and took every opportunity to share them with the reader. That wasn't always my favorite, but I have to say, I loved his tenacity.
Overall, this memoir was a heartfelt and engaging look at an extraordinary career and the person behind it. So 5 stars.
I completely enjoyed the parts where he opens up about his family, his early experiences in acting, his journey to stardom, his alcoholism, and his other struggles. His success never felt like a matter of being in the right place at the right time. He clearly had the talent, discipline, and the presence to support every opportunity that came his way. He still remembered a lot of his lines from early on....and took every opportunity to share them with the reader. That wasn't always my favorite, but I have to say, I loved his tenacity.
Overall, this memoir was a heartfelt and engaging look at an extraordinary career and the person behind it. So 5 stars.
November 9, 2025
Невероятният и истински Антъни Хопкинс. Не е нужно да казвам нищо повече.
November 10, 2025
A long slog through the life of an actor whose mindset is that of a very insecure rebel. It's a pretty unsatisfying read, especially if you're hoping to hear much about his movie work. There's a short chapter on Silence of the Lambs, but little about most other films and some of his best-known screen work isn't even mentioned. Seriously?
You may enjoy this if you admire a lot of introspection, poetic views of existence, his turning alcoholism into a life of sobriety, or hearing too much about his theater work. I admire Hopkins for facing head-on his faults and weaknesses, though he also skips over some major flaws (he mentions cheating on his wife with many women in just one sentence and his reputation for being a scary hothead on movie sets is barely acknowledged).
His single-sentence aside that his grandfather fed him beer regularly as a child is probably one of the most important things in the book, considering the mean alcoholic he became, but the author fails to hone in on that.
Meanwhile he goes off on tangents about stars he watched at the movie theater and quotes from other performers but it all has nothing to do with his actual life. Why is he including multi-paragraph Wikipedia style entries about American film actors, some of whom he tells more about than himself?! The oddest inclusion is a halfhearted message to his estranged daughter, who he abandoned when she was a child and he has failed to do much to show her his love.
In the hands of a better co-writer this could have been a worthy memoir. By the tenth time he's repeating his depressive "whoa-is-me" commentary it gets old, especially after he's rich and famous! And while he skips over many major events and films, in almost every aspect of his life he includes simplistic narrative on unimportant things like answering a door, answering a phone, the name of the pub where he had a drink and where he sat, what he ate at a restaurant, etc.
It feels like the book was rushed to publication while he's still alive (even a quick note added about his 2025 house fire a few months before publication) and it needed a sweeping edit that would cut out at least fifty pages. He could also dump the thirty pages of poetry that he includes at the end. It feels like one of those rambling four-hour theatrical productions that seems interesting at first, has some good spots, but would have been better cut almost in half.
I understand the title, since Hopkins internally still considers himself that little boy from Wales who was told he'd amount to nothing, but it also reflects that he wrote a memoir that is just "ok."
You may enjoy this if you admire a lot of introspection, poetic views of existence, his turning alcoholism into a life of sobriety, or hearing too much about his theater work. I admire Hopkins for facing head-on his faults and weaknesses, though he also skips over some major flaws (he mentions cheating on his wife with many women in just one sentence and his reputation for being a scary hothead on movie sets is barely acknowledged).
His single-sentence aside that his grandfather fed him beer regularly as a child is probably one of the most important things in the book, considering the mean alcoholic he became, but the author fails to hone in on that.
Meanwhile he goes off on tangents about stars he watched at the movie theater and quotes from other performers but it all has nothing to do with his actual life. Why is he including multi-paragraph Wikipedia style entries about American film actors, some of whom he tells more about than himself?! The oddest inclusion is a halfhearted message to his estranged daughter, who he abandoned when she was a child and he has failed to do much to show her his love.
In the hands of a better co-writer this could have been a worthy memoir. By the tenth time he's repeating his depressive "whoa-is-me" commentary it gets old, especially after he's rich and famous! And while he skips over many major events and films, in almost every aspect of his life he includes simplistic narrative on unimportant things like answering a door, answering a phone, the name of the pub where he had a drink and where he sat, what he ate at a restaurant, etc.
It feels like the book was rushed to publication while he's still alive (even a quick note added about his 2025 house fire a few months before publication) and it needed a sweeping edit that would cut out at least fifty pages. He could also dump the thirty pages of poetry that he includes at the end. It feels like one of those rambling four-hour theatrical productions that seems interesting at first, has some good spots, but would have been better cut almost in half.
I understand the title, since Hopkins internally still considers himself that little boy from Wales who was told he'd amount to nothing, but it also reflects that he wrote a memoir that is just "ok."
November 9, 2025
Really interesting. An interesting life to read about!
I really appreciated his reflections on alcoholism and on his (“failed”) relationship to his daughter. I also found it so interesting that he stayed very close with his own parents throughout his life. Given his fame and age, it was just really interesting to hear so much about his relations with his parents. Not all famous people’s autobiographies would spend this much time reflecting on their relationships with their parents. He is especially eloquent/loving in describing his father and the men of his father’s generation.
He makes passing reference to his infidelities during his 2nd marriage. That seemed odd to me, because he never said more about it before or after that. So I was surprised he mentioned the topic, if he wasn’t going to discuss it more.
At the end there is 45 minutes of him reading his favorite poems, which was just really interesting.
(Interestingly, in contrast to what I recently said about Bjorn Borg’s autobiography, Anthony Hopkins really, really makes it clear in this that he has wrestled with how he handled fatherhood and his relationship with his daughter. I think he said it’s his greatest remorse and greatest sadness (?), or something along those lines—and that he is also sure the choice he made, to leave her mother because their marriage was so dysfunctional, was the correct one. But the level of his remorse, and the admission of his own imperfection is so clear here. It’s exactly the degree of introspection that I thought seemed to be missing from Borg’s autobiography.)
I really appreciated his reflections on alcoholism and on his (“failed”) relationship to his daughter. I also found it so interesting that he stayed very close with his own parents throughout his life. Given his fame and age, it was just really interesting to hear so much about his relations with his parents. Not all famous people’s autobiographies would spend this much time reflecting on their relationships with their parents. He is especially eloquent/loving in describing his father and the men of his father’s generation.
He makes passing reference to his infidelities during his 2nd marriage. That seemed odd to me, because he never said more about it before or after that. So I was surprised he mentioned the topic, if he wasn’t going to discuss it more.
At the end there is 45 minutes of him reading his favorite poems, which was just really interesting.
(Interestingly, in contrast to what I recently said about Bjorn Borg’s autobiography, Anthony Hopkins really, really makes it clear in this that he has wrestled with how he handled fatherhood and his relationship with his daughter. I think he said it’s his greatest remorse and greatest sadness (?), or something along those lines—and that he is also sure the choice he made, to leave her mother because their marriage was so dysfunctional, was the correct one. But the level of his remorse, and the admission of his own imperfection is so clear here. It’s exactly the degree of introspection that I thought seemed to be missing from Borg’s autobiography.)
December 12, 2025
I will not be okay when this man leaves us.
November 5, 2025
A beautiful and brutally honest retrospective by Hopkins on his life, relationships, sobriety, and career… I loved every moment of this book.
January 14, 2026
“” Listen to the music; any music. Read; Read anything ; book or poem, whatever it is”
January 22, 2026
Anthony Hopkins is possibly on the spectrum of Asperger’s. Showing no interest in school, he flunked out. But he had a natural talent for memorization and delivery of Shakespeare speeches. He was awarded a scholarship to train at a prestigious school in Great Britain. He performed on stages in London and eventually moved into movies. He also played the piano well and had an interest in the arts. The biography is well delivered in the audiobook version and Hopkins reflects deeply and openly about his life and career.
January 1, 2026
A fascinating story of a successful life against all the odds - his parents despaired of what he would become and he was a loner at school and then an alcoholic and only really achieved his full potential late in life.
The description of SIlence of the Lambs alone is enough to make this worth reading but it is much more than that.
Only how morbid and preoccupied with death it became towards the end stopped me giving this five stars.
The description of SIlence of the Lambs alone is enough to make this worth reading but it is much more than that.
Only how morbid and preoccupied with death it became towards the end stopped me giving this five stars.
November 5, 2025
This was an amazingly written memoir.
January 1, 2026
O autobiografie scrisă autentic, fără un ajutor vizibil din exterior, cu detalii profunde și sincere despre viața și personalitatea lui Anthony Hopkins. Nu evită deloc viciile și defectele sale, iar tocmai această onestitate m-a făcut, personal, să-l îndrăgesc și mai mult.
February 7, 2026
..lieliska aktiera memuāri. sakārojās noskatīties kādu viņa filmu.
December 12, 2025
Still reading, but oh, so good. I'm listening to the recording of this book done by Kenneth Branagh. Completely engrossing.
Brilliant book. Now I want to go back through all of Anthony Hopkins's movies. I rarely give five stars to any book, but this one earned it.
Thank you, Donna, for nudging me to read this book, so timely for me.
Brilliant book. Now I want to go back through all of Anthony Hopkins's movies. I rarely give five stars to any book, but this one earned it.
Thank you, Donna, for nudging me to read this book, so timely for me.
January 24, 2026
A wonderful memoir by Anthony Hopkins. Honest, well-written, full of hard-earned insight and wisdom. Beautifully narrated by Kenneth Branagh, with poetry readings from Sir Anthony Hopkins as an encore.
November 13, 2025
Incredibly autistic for a guy who suddenly doesn't think autism is a thing despite proudly wearing that diagnosis about 10 years ago. Still an excellent book. One of those rare celebrity memoirs that doesn't make me feel like the guy who wrote it is kinda gross by the end of it.
November 6, 2025
An extremely interesting and thought provoking memoir. Sir Anthony talks about his alcoholism in depth and what eventually made him give up drinking. He talks about his family and how he regrets walking out on his then wife and daughter. It has not been an easy life but by God he's worked to get where he is today. Well done. Would definitely recommend to any one who loves memoirs.
December 3, 2025
As far as memoirs go, this was top shelf. The audiobook is narrated by Kenneth Branagh, not Anthony Hopkins himself, but this does nothing to detract from the atmosphere and that intimate listening feeling that a good memoir should give you. We do hear from Anthony, in the epilogue, which is made up of him reading a selection of poems that mean a lot to him. It's in this section that you appreciate why Anthony did not read his own memoir for the audiobook - he's almost ninety, and his age is evident in his voice. Kenneth Branagh was able to bring the full force of his acting talent to the 'role', which he did with vigour, and the resulting audiobook was a wonderful listening experience.
Anthony Hopkins certainly has a story to tell. It’s a long and winding life with plenty of initial setbacks in terms of his acting career, a bad first marriage, estrangement from his only child, alcoholism, a better second marriage, but still another divorce, a change of direction within his career, London, Hollywood, New York, and marrying for a third time later in life.
I absolutely loved his relationship with his parents. And while not without difficulty at times, it was always one of love, and as their only son, this came through in waves. His father asking him to recite Hamlet to him while on his death bed; his mother watching him win an Oscar for his role as Hannibal Lecter, even though she had to watch at 4am from Wales. These, and many other moments, brought tears to my eyes. His stories of his grandparents were also heart warming. His strong Welsh heritage is such a defining part of his character.
I laughed, also cried, was impressed over and over. One story I'll share and leave you with, is how Anthony tells of Jodi Foster admitting after the filming of The Silence of the Lambs was concluded, that she had been terrified of him the entire time, from the very first table read. He was that convincing as Hannibal Lecter.
I highly recommend this memoir. It was a brilliant read, entertaining and inspiring.
Anthony Hopkins certainly has a story to tell. It’s a long and winding life with plenty of initial setbacks in terms of his acting career, a bad first marriage, estrangement from his only child, alcoholism, a better second marriage, but still another divorce, a change of direction within his career, London, Hollywood, New York, and marrying for a third time later in life.
I absolutely loved his relationship with his parents. And while not without difficulty at times, it was always one of love, and as their only son, this came through in waves. His father asking him to recite Hamlet to him while on his death bed; his mother watching him win an Oscar for his role as Hannibal Lecter, even though she had to watch at 4am from Wales. These, and many other moments, brought tears to my eyes. His stories of his grandparents were also heart warming. His strong Welsh heritage is such a defining part of his character.
I laughed, also cried, was impressed over and over. One story I'll share and leave you with, is how Anthony tells of Jodi Foster admitting after the filming of The Silence of the Lambs was concluded, that she had been terrified of him the entire time, from the very first table read. He was that convincing as Hannibal Lecter.
I highly recommend this memoir. It was a brilliant read, entertaining and inspiring.
December 2, 2025
Piękne podsumowanie życia z perspektywy człowieka, który wiele osiągnął, ale i popełnił mnóstwo błędów. Nie ma tu tego, co w autobiografiach doprowadza mnie do szału, czyli wybielania swoich występków. Hopkins pisze z perspektywy osoby, która przeżyła długie życie, wie, że niedługo się z nim pożegna i pokazuje, jak przez lata zmienił mu się charakter i priorytety. Na plus wybór ulubionych wierszy autora (na końcu książki)
November 13, 2025
I am a huge fan of Anthony Hopkins, so I was pretty sure I would enjoy this memoir, impeccably read (on Audible) by Kenneth Branagh with a wonderful Epilogue of favourite poetry, read by Hopkins himself.
A surprise, I guess, was the fact that Hopkins, in his younger years, was quite a difficult person, difficult to understand and difficult to get along with, obviously lacking self confidence and belief in himself, ultimately leading to his alcoholism, despite his growing success and achievements. His story is filled with theatre and movie anecdotes and stories about other well known actors along with references to his often difficult family life.
What is no surprise of course, is his ultimate success . . . all the great plays and movies, the Oscars and so on.
As an ageing person myself, I particularly liked his reflections on getting older despite these being somewhat melancholy, his looking back on life and the philosophies he developed through his many and varied life experiences.
While being a Hopkins' fan certainly enhances this memoir, I think it would be an interesting read for anyone. I really enjoyed it. ****
A surprise, I guess, was the fact that Hopkins, in his younger years, was quite a difficult person, difficult to understand and difficult to get along with, obviously lacking self confidence and belief in himself, ultimately leading to his alcoholism, despite his growing success and achievements. His story is filled with theatre and movie anecdotes and stories about other well known actors along with references to his often difficult family life.
What is no surprise of course, is his ultimate success . . . all the great plays and movies, the Oscars and so on.
As an ageing person myself, I particularly liked his reflections on getting older despite these being somewhat melancholy, his looking back on life and the philosophies he developed through his many and varied life experiences.
While being a Hopkins' fan certainly enhances this memoir, I think it would be an interesting read for anyone. I really enjoyed it. ****
November 17, 2025
If there's a better memoir published this year, I sure don't know what it could be. Sir Anthony Hopkins' life from a perceived ne-r-do-well youth to an accomplished actor, award winner, and British knight is fascinating in its own right. He is a humble man who tells his extraordinary life . But what makes this book special is that he weaves in poems, lines from his movies and plays that add depth and emotion to his story. A must for movie fans, but actually, a must for anyone who is interested in reading a book well told.
This is a book that should be experienced as an audiobook. With Kenneth Branagh as the narrator, and Sir Anthony reading his favorite poems and reciting lines from various plays, it is an auditory feast. Find it on Libro dot fm or Libby.
This is a book that should be experienced as an audiobook. With Kenneth Branagh as the narrator, and Sir Anthony reading his favorite poems and reciting lines from various plays, it is an auditory feast. Find it on Libro dot fm or Libby.
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January 15, 2026Came for Anthony Hopkins, stayed for Kenneth Branagh. His narration was amazing, and while it’s always fun when the author narrates their own memoir, in this case (Hopkins being 88 years old and his voice reflects that) Branagh did an incredible job and I personally think made it better. I love a celebrity memoir and Hopkins was one of the better ones I’ve read. If I had any notes it was I wish it were longer! I do love that Hopkins himself read some of his favorite poems and passages at the end of the book.
December 29, 2025
I adored the poetic nature of this memoir which includes Sir Anthony's favourite poems at the back of the book.
It was very introspective and brutally honest. I particularly liked the way he included all of the sage life advice he was given from a young age through to more recently. As someone who is also their own worst critic, it was comforting to hear that even a person as successful as Sir Anthony Hopkins is also riddled with self-doubt and I found the ways he has dealt with this endlessly fascinating.
Overall, this was a beautiful, and often poignant, read which I devoured in less than two days. A great mix of history, celebrity, art, and childhood memories.
It was very introspective and brutally honest. I particularly liked the way he included all of the sage life advice he was given from a young age through to more recently. As someone who is also their own worst critic, it was comforting to hear that even a person as successful as Sir Anthony Hopkins is also riddled with self-doubt and I found the ways he has dealt with this endlessly fascinating.
Overall, this was a beautiful, and often poignant, read which I devoured in less than two days. A great mix of history, celebrity, art, and childhood memories.
December 21, 2025
4,5 star. Its always nice to read something i a totally different world. He is very open and takes us with him trough out the years.
He is def a rich character alone and en phenominal actor, and it def shows in the book. Would recommend
He is def a rich character alone and en phenominal actor, and it def shows in the book. Would recommend
January 9, 2026
Pēdējā laikā biogrāfijas lasu reti. Aktieru tikpat kā nekad. Šoreiz uzrunājošs bija gan pats personāžs, gan grāmatas iesējums. (ja iespējams, izvairos no cietajiem vākiem). Ja dažos vārdos, tad nebija slikti. Vietām mazliet haotiski, dažas epizodes atkārtojas, bet kopumā samērā aizraujošs ceļojums caur izcilā aktiera dzīvi. Kaut kas jūtami noklusēts, kaut kā par daudz, bet bez sensacionālām aizkulišu dzīves atklāsmēm, kas man patīk.(patīk, ka nav) Vairāk par izcelsmi, ģimeni, mokošo sevis atrašanas ceļu, aktiermākslas knifiem. Likās, ka varēja būt mazāk par atsvabināšanos no alkohola gūsta. Dažiem lasītājiem, kas rūpīgāk sekojuši Hopkinsa biogrāfijai, ir iebildumi par daudzām noklusētajām dzīves epizodēm, bet, manuprāt, katrs tiesīgs par sevi stāstīt to, ko uzskata par vajadzīgu. Šāda žanra literatūrā vismokošākās parasti ir tās lappuses, kur tiek stāstīts par sen iestudētām izrādēm un sen izrādītām filmām, kuras reti kurš ir redzējis. Hopkinsa autobiogrāfijā šādas briesmas nedraud. Par teātri ir samērā daudz, bet tādā formā, kas neliek garlaikoties pat izrādes neredzējušiem. Protams, ka ir arī par filmām, bet arī ne pār mēru. Katrā ziņā patīkama, izzinoša izklaide. Patika arī tulkojums. Pamanīju jaunvārdu ''ļaudīgs'', kuru līdz šim nekur nebiju ne dzirdējis, ne lasījis. Nozīmē ''ļaudīgs bārs'', "ļaudīga iela''
December 17, 2025
"Hai că am reușit, puștiule" de Anthony Hopkins (trad. Silvia Năstasie) este autobiografia celebrului actor galez, o carte pe care eu am citit-o de cum a ajuns la mine și care mi-a plăcut tare mult 🎬 Mai multe am scris într-un articol publicat pe blog despre lectura ce îmbină excelent emoția cu rușinea și triumfurile profesionale cu eșecurile personale ✍️
https://ciobanuldeazi.home.blog/2025/...
https://ciobanuldeazi.home.blog/2025/...
December 9, 2025
I'm listening to Hopkins' beautiful composition, And the Waltz Goes On as I type this review.
I listened to the audiobook, brilliantly narrated by Sir Kenneth Branagh with poetry readings by Sir Anthony Hopkins. It was often hard to tear myself away from this audiobook. The narration was wonderful and the writing was every bit as good. I really admire Hopkins' candour; he doesn't shy away from his flaws, but faces them head-on.
He talks a lot about his battle with alcoholism as well as his abandonment of his only child; something that is obviously still very painful for him.
I know other reviewers have said they're disappointed that he didn't talk as much about his work, but I'm far more interested in the person behind the films, than the films themselves. Hearing all the nitty gritty about how each film was made would've got boring eventually, I'm sure.
Hearing about his childhood in Wales and how he struggled at school, and about his dad's bakery, and his parents' depression was really interesting to me, as was his assertion that actors are only human and he can't stand the ones who have enormous egos and can't bear eye contact from us peasants.
Hopkins is a national treasure and I'm grateful that he put pen to paper and wrote about his life, which has been far from boring.
The added joy of the audiobook was the final chapters in which Hopkins himself reads some of his favourite poems and soliloquies. My personal favourite which really resonated with me is, Remember by Christina Rossetti. I also adored The West Wind by John Masefield; the first poem Hopkins really "performed" when he was just a boy.
I listened to the audiobook, brilliantly narrated by Sir Kenneth Branagh with poetry readings by Sir Anthony Hopkins. It was often hard to tear myself away from this audiobook. The narration was wonderful and the writing was every bit as good. I really admire Hopkins' candour; he doesn't shy away from his flaws, but faces them head-on.
He talks a lot about his battle with alcoholism as well as his abandonment of his only child; something that is obviously still very painful for him.
I know other reviewers have said they're disappointed that he didn't talk as much about his work, but I'm far more interested in the person behind the films, than the films themselves. Hearing all the nitty gritty about how each film was made would've got boring eventually, I'm sure.
Hearing about his childhood in Wales and how he struggled at school, and about his dad's bakery, and his parents' depression was really interesting to me, as was his assertion that actors are only human and he can't stand the ones who have enormous egos and can't bear eye contact from us peasants.
Hopkins is a national treasure and I'm grateful that he put pen to paper and wrote about his life, which has been far from boring.
The added joy of the audiobook was the final chapters in which Hopkins himself reads some of his favourite poems and soliloquies. My personal favourite which really resonated with me is, Remember by Christina Rossetti. I also adored The West Wind by John Masefield; the first poem Hopkins really "performed" when he was just a boy.
December 23, 2025
Undeniably the most boring memoir I have ever picked up.
During my university years, I conducted several life-history interviews for my then social sciences professor, and those were of almost the same caliber as Mr. Hopkins’s memoir. By this I am not judging the respected actor himself, but rather questioning the justification for this work in its current form. I understand that in old age people enjoy reminiscing, immersing themselves in the “good old days,” and perhaps sharing a few cherished or important moments of their lives with their descendants—but as a lay reader, this book offered me absolutely nothing.
Apart from the sections dealing with alcoholism, there is nothing instructive, exemplary, or even entertaining about this memoir. It feels raw and erratic, a collection of meandering, stream-of-consciousness monologues driven by whatever happened to come to mind at the moment.
During my university years, I conducted several life-history interviews for my then social sciences professor, and those were of almost the same caliber as Mr. Hopkins’s memoir. By this I am not judging the respected actor himself, but rather questioning the justification for this work in its current form. I understand that in old age people enjoy reminiscing, immersing themselves in the “good old days,” and perhaps sharing a few cherished or important moments of their lives with their descendants—but as a lay reader, this book offered me absolutely nothing.
Apart from the sections dealing with alcoholism, there is nothing instructive, exemplary, or even entertaining about this memoir. It feels raw and erratic, a collection of meandering, stream-of-consciousness monologues driven by whatever happened to come to mind at the moment.
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