Ustinov Still at Large

"I wish to cause no pain, except where it is deserved."
— Peter Ustinov

The legendary Peter Ustinov was one of the world's most versatile and talented contributors to the arts. Ustinov's talents were widely demonstrated both in print and on television. It has been said that reading Ustinov is like listening to a good story told by an old friend. His style exudes a sophistication and charm that captures the imagination, lifts the spirits, and challenges the mind. Readers of this collection will relish the ample wit and telling observations that fill each page.

Whether his subject is one of the world's major hot spots or a political/military conflict, the peculiarities of our complex human nature with its many not-so-significant foibles, the quirks of religion and other forms of belief, or just the thoughtful observations of a world traveler, Ustinov Still at Large will tickle your funny bone, strike an emotional chord, and make you realize that people who care can make a difference.

Actor, producer, director, novelist, and playwright Peter Ustinov enchants his readers the world over with wit and deft turns of phrase, as only Ustinov can do!

Publishers Weekly

Actor, traveler and raconteur Ustinov writes a journal of sorts that takes the reader to the four corners of the world. With droll tone and deft turns of phrase (``Under our balcony at the hotel there is a bar which announces proudly it is open all night-like the window of our room,'' he notes after noisy revelers kept him awake), he describes his travels through the smoldering heat of Bangkok or a condom-littered ocean front in the south of France. Not that he is restricted to soft news: he comments as well on Bosnia and the Gulf War. While the book seems to be a compendium of columns for a newspaper, Ustinov lacks the American-style punch of a Tony Kornheiser or Mike Royko, opting for a more reasoned and subtle tone. It doesn't always work. When the author merely comments on world events, acting as a kind of journalistic armchair quarterback, the result is somewhat flat. But when Ustinov really takes the reader along in his travels, pointing out details like a fishbowl in riot-torn L.A. whose inhabitants almost certainly died when flames heated their habitat or the comments of taxi drivers in northern England, the sense of immediacy is truly impressive. (Mar.)

The late Peter Ustinov traveled the globe as an entertainer and actor and served as ambassador at large for UNICEF. For his work in film and the arts he received two Academy Awards, three Emmys, and one Grammy. He was also a producer, director, and playwright, and the author of Life Is an Operetta and Other Short Stories, Add a Dash of Pity, Quotable Ustinov, and Ustinov Still at Large. He was knighted in 1990.