A Ship Without A Sail

Book excerpt: Lorenz Hart, together with Richard Rodgers, created some of the most beautiful and witty songs ever written. Here is the story of the strikingly unromantic life of this songwriting genius. His lyrics spin with brilliance and sophistication, yet at their core is an unmistakable wistfulness. Rodgers and Hart, who wrote approximately thirty Broadway musicals and dozens of songs for Hollywood films, were an odd couple. Rodgers was precise, punctual, heterosexual, handsome, and eager to be accepted by society. Hart was barely five feet tall, alcoholic, homosexual, and more comfortable in a bar or restaurant than anywhere else. His lyrics are all the more remarkable considering that he never sustained a romantic relationship, living his entire life with his mother, who died only months before his own death at 48. Biographer Marmorstein superbly portrays the life of this exuberant yet troubled artist.--From publisher description.