Many Masks Frank L Wr

With a talent for public relations and a habit of neglecting to mention his sources, Wright portrayed himself as a revolutionary genius. But his recklessly entangled lifewives, mistresses, chronic debt, scandalscontinually threatened to paralyze his talent. At a time when the architectural profession in the U.S. was booming, he was granted comparatively few commissions and had to turn to lecturing to earn a meager living. Gill, architectural critic for the New Yorker, was friends with Wright and his third wife. Debunking yet sympathetic, this engrossing biography is a masterpiece of sleuthing and interpretive skill; it separates the man from the self-made myths. Wright portrays himself as innocent hero-victim of a corrupt society, but here we see an artful dodger molded by a boyhood filled with shame and anguish. Gill evaluates which of Wright's projects failed by the architect's own standards, and which ones succeeded. Photos not seen by PW. First serial to the New Yorker. (November 17)