Walking Into the Night
Serving as butler at William Randolph Hearst's San Simeon estate, Christian Benediktsson spends his days meeting the demands of running a grand mansion and reflecting on his former life as a man who abandoned his wife and children in Iceland for a New York actress, experienced tragedy, dealt with financial ruin, and retreated from life. Reader's Guide available. Reprint. 15,000 first printing.
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As butler to William Randolph Hearst at San Simeon castle, Christian Benediktsson lives quietly, almost invisibly. He completes his tasks efficiently and with aplomb, catering to the whims of the volatile Chief and overseeing the running of the hectic household. Privy to the goings-on of the celebrity guests who visit as well as to Hearst’s intimate relationship with his mistress, the actress Marion Davies, he is the picture of discretion. An extremely private man, those around him know nothing of him or his life. And so it is in his thoughts and in unsent letters to his wife back in Iceland that we witness the unraveling of his former life, which began when he abandoned her and their children for an actress in New York City. Once a successful businessman, he erases his past and himself after a sudden tragic death and his financial ruin, the result of a jilted lover’s vengeance. Walking into the Night is a stunning portrait of a man wrestling with guilt and secret passions.
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