A postillion struck by lightning

"In this autobiography, actor Dirk Bogarde, talks about his idyllic childhood, his tough and lonely initation into harsher realities at a Glasgow technical school. He goes on to remember his days as an aspiring artist and his first steps as an actor, on his way to Hollywood."@en
"The first volume of Dirk Bogarde's funny, sad, anecdotal and quite exceptional autobiography was a bestseller. The actor evokes his childhood and remembers his days as an aspiring artist, and his first steps as an actor on his way to Hollywood. The listener will not fail to be moved and delighted by this superlative memoir."
"This vivid and engaging memoir traces the first steps of Dirk Bogarde as a young actor before he became world famous as well as his childhood amidst the enchanting beauty of rural Sussex. Here is the delightful harmony of summer days spent fishing with his young sister, a hunt for an escaped tortoise, the discovery of the biggest mushroom in the world, and the quest to win a pet canary at the local fair. Then came the plays he and sister used to put on in their barn, followed by the local amateur dramatic society, all a prelude to his growing desire to join the world of the stage."