Books by Jan Wahl

This is the HARDBACK version. LOUISE BROOKS and Jan Wahl had a special, roller-coaster relationship lasting twenty-odd years. He met the legendary star when he was a student; it turned out each of them hoped to be a writer. This intense friendship continued by letter and in person. The letters from Louise reveal much of her inner personality - her insights and anecdotes make fascinating, compelling reading.

Regarded by many filmmakers and critics as one of the greatest directors in cinema history, Carl Theodor Dreyer (1889--1968) achieved worldwide acclaim after the debut of his masterpiece, The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928), which was named the most influential film of all time at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival. In 1955 Dreyer granted twenty-three-year-old American student Jan Wahl the extraordinary opportunity to spend a unique and unforgettable summer with him during the filming of Ordet ( The Word [1955]). Carl Theodor Dreyer and Ordet: My Summer with the Danish Filmmaker is a captivating account of Wahl's time with the director, based on Wahl's daily journal accounts and transcriptions of his conversations with Dreyer. Offering a glimpse into the filmmaker's world, Wahl fashions a portrait of Dreyer as a man, mentor, friend, and director. Wahl's unique and charming account is supplemented by exquisite photos of the filming and by selections from Dreyer's papers, including his notes on film style, his introduction for the actors before the filming of Ordet, and a visionary lecture he delivered at Edinburgh. Carl Theodor Dreyer and Ordet details one student's remarkable experiences with a legendary director and the unlikely bond formed over a summer.

JAN WAHL grew up in North-West Ohio where as a child he played piano on a radio program called The Kiddies Karnival. Next came the creation of traveling magic and puppet shows and shadowplays. Once he appeared at the Toledo Town Hall with the legendary magician Harry Blackstone.At Cornell University he had the good fortune to take classes with Vladimir Nabokov. In Denmark while on a Fullbright scholarship he was invited by director Carl Theodor Dreyer to be part of the making of the now classic film Ordet. He returned to Denmark to act as scribe to Isak Dinesen (Out of Africa) at the time she was writing her Last Tales. He lived a number of years in Guanajuato, Mexico and resides now in Toledo.His more than 100 books mostly for children have been illustrated by Norman Rockwell, Maurice Sendak, Uri Shulevitz, Edward Gorey, Feodor Rojankovsky and other notable artists and have been anthologized, animated, and set to music. His awards include the Avery Hopwood, Redbook, Ohioana and Parents Magazine awards as well as the Coretta Scott King and Bologna Youth Critics prizes.

LOUISE BROOKS and Jan Wahl had a special, roller-coaster relationship lastingtwenty-odd years. He met the legendary star when he was a student; it turned outeach of them hoped to be a writer. This intense friendship continued by letterand in person. The letters from Louise reveal much of her inner personality--herinsights and anecdotes make fascinating, compelling reading.JAN WAHL is the author of over 100 books for children of all ages; he has wonnumerous awards. His work has been translated into many languages.