Van Morrison

"Reclusive, difficult and enigmatic, Van Morrison is a gifted singer-songwriter and an endlessly complicated man. In Van Morrison: No Surrender, Johnny Rogan has produced a revelatory biography of the musician, analysing the sense of place in his work and the tortuous journey that took him from local fame in Belfast to international success as one of the most respected and acclaimed figures in contemporary popular music. Set against the cultural and political backdrop of Belfast, before, during and after the Troubles, No Surrender offers a unique and penetrating perspective on Morrison's long career and the times that made him." "Morrison grew up in Belfast at the time of an explosion in youth culture and the emergence of a beat scene second only to Liverpool, a vibrant period before the descent into sectarian conflict. He was an unlikely star and a publicist's nightmare: short, with plain looks, he gave fractious interviews, challenged his fellow musicians, producers and management, and stubbornly went his own way. For Morrison, whose personality seemed to typify the 'No Surrender' Unionist mentality, such conflicts paved the way for a new beginning. It was this uncompromising attitude that ultimately secured his reputation among the greats of his era." "Over the last five decades, his music has embraced rock, folk, blues, country and jazz and he remains a hugely influential figure. This definitive study, the product of years of research with scores of new interviews from every stage of his career, is a compelling account of a modern music myth."--BOOK JACKET.

Beyond its central premise, the book can be read through the connected lenses of Nonfiction. Those themes offer useful points of attention as the characters, ideas, or world develop, especially where the book complicates the expectations of its primary category.