cbspock
11-06-2001, 06:26 AM
http://www.timminspress.com/timminspress/NEWS/IMAGES/1106-2.jpg
BRITISH AUTHOR Robin Eggar displays the jacket of his new book about Shania Twain during a visit to Timmins prior to the opening of the city's new Shania centre on June 30.
http://www.timminspress.com/timminspress/NEWS/1106-5.htm
New biography on Shania booked to come out in Canada this month
The story of Timmins' singing sweetheart will hit book shelves across Canada later this month.
The most recent Shania Twain biography, written by famed British author and journalist Robin Eggar, will be published Thursday in Canada. The book is already in circulation in the United Kingdom and will be published later this month in Australia.
Eggar, based in London, travelled to Canada and Timmins a few times to research for the unauthorized biography of Shania Twain.
"It's not an authorized biography, so it is my take, my truth on what made Shania Twain," Eggar told The Daily Press via e-mail.
"Superstars create legends, but often legends turn out to be exactly that — half truths and fantasy woven over a bedrock of facts. That isn't the case with Shania and while there are stories in the book that her die-hard fans might prefer not to believe, basically, she is what she has always claimed to be."
The book is primarily about Twain and the people who knew and influenced her over the years, but also deals with areas of history and music, Eggar said.
"People's lives cannot exist in a vacuum so when I was researching it, I did wander off into strange little areas of history and music, which was fun to do.
"Some I discarded, but there are sections in the book that deal with the history of the Ojibwa, the roots of country music, Far Eastern religions, South African pop music in 1970, bootlegging in Kapuskasing in the Ô30s and a few others, but they were all relevant to the story," he said.
Eggar said there is also a lot of information about Twain's husband Roberet (Mutt) Lange.
Eggar worked on the book for about a year, with the final piece of the book being Eja Lange's birth in August.
There was one missed correction in the book. Eggar said he apologizes to Ontarians for describing their province as a state.
Eggar had written most of the book and saved the first chapter for the opening of the Shania Twain Centre. The opening of the centre, June 30, didn't set the tone of the book, but put things into perspective for Eggar and helped him achieve a kind of closure, he said.
But the Shania Twain Centre wasn't what Eggar had expected it to be. "To be honest, I was a bit disappointed. I think the building itself looks brilliant and is a great addition to Timmins, but I felt that there was not enough space to show off all Shania's memorabilia," Eggar said.
"If I was a fan who had driven hundreds of miles to get to the centre, I would expect more exhibits and perhaps some more off the wall stuff. I believe that in the summer and high tourist season the floating space in the foyer should be used to display more of her things."
The opening of the centre also provided Eggar an opportunity to meet several of Twain's most devoted fans, which was interesting, he said.
BRITISH AUTHOR Robin Eggar displays the jacket of his new book about Shania Twain during a visit to Timmins prior to the opening of the city's new Shania centre on June 30.
http://www.timminspress.com/timminspress/NEWS/1106-5.htm
New biography on Shania booked to come out in Canada this month
The story of Timmins' singing sweetheart will hit book shelves across Canada later this month.
The most recent Shania Twain biography, written by famed British author and journalist Robin Eggar, will be published Thursday in Canada. The book is already in circulation in the United Kingdom and will be published later this month in Australia.
Eggar, based in London, travelled to Canada and Timmins a few times to research for the unauthorized biography of Shania Twain.
"It's not an authorized biography, so it is my take, my truth on what made Shania Twain," Eggar told The Daily Press via e-mail.
"Superstars create legends, but often legends turn out to be exactly that — half truths and fantasy woven over a bedrock of facts. That isn't the case with Shania and while there are stories in the book that her die-hard fans might prefer not to believe, basically, she is what she has always claimed to be."
The book is primarily about Twain and the people who knew and influenced her over the years, but also deals with areas of history and music, Eggar said.
"People's lives cannot exist in a vacuum so when I was researching it, I did wander off into strange little areas of history and music, which was fun to do.
"Some I discarded, but there are sections in the book that deal with the history of the Ojibwa, the roots of country music, Far Eastern religions, South African pop music in 1970, bootlegging in Kapuskasing in the Ô30s and a few others, but they were all relevant to the story," he said.
Eggar said there is also a lot of information about Twain's husband Roberet (Mutt) Lange.
Eggar worked on the book for about a year, with the final piece of the book being Eja Lange's birth in August.
There was one missed correction in the book. Eggar said he apologizes to Ontarians for describing their province as a state.
Eggar had written most of the book and saved the first chapter for the opening of the Shania Twain Centre. The opening of the centre, June 30, didn't set the tone of the book, but put things into perspective for Eggar and helped him achieve a kind of closure, he said.
But the Shania Twain Centre wasn't what Eggar had expected it to be. "To be honest, I was a bit disappointed. I think the building itself looks brilliant and is a great addition to Timmins, but I felt that there was not enough space to show off all Shania's memorabilia," Eggar said.
"If I was a fan who had driven hundreds of miles to get to the centre, I would expect more exhibits and perhaps some more off the wall stuff. I believe that in the summer and high tourist season the floating space in the foyer should be used to display more of her things."
The opening of the centre also provided Eggar an opportunity to meet several of Twain's most devoted fans, which was interesting, he said.