Aznavour by Aznavour

Charles Aznavour's autobiography, published in 1970, covers some fascinating ground. The child of Armenian immigrants to Paris, born in 1924, he came to show business early, performing in plays and music halls as a child. The section on how he and his family survived during the German occupation in World War II is full of compelling day-by-day detail. But the highlight of this volume must be his account of his time with Edith Piaf as her assistant and all-around doormat. There was true affection there on both sides, but Piaf was notoriously difficult. Much of the first half of the book is taken up with his songwriting rather than with his singing. Until he made his triumph as a singer, selling songs to other singers was his bread and butter. There's not much on Aznavour's film career, disappointingly, and nothing about his work starring in the Truffaut film Shoot the Piano Player.