Handling Edna

An intimate and penetrating examination of the world's most famous woman, Dame Edna Everage, by the man who knows her best.

In this unauthorised biography, acquired for an unprecedented advance and in spectacular secrecy, long-time manager and the man who was there from the very beginning, Barry Humphries takes a behind-the-scenes, no-holds-barred look at an icon of our times - Dame Edna Everage.

Superstar, swami, confidante and advisor to royalty, Hollywood stars and international political leaders, Dame Edna's life has catapulted her far from her humble Moonee Ponds beginnings as a suburban housewife to the most elite social and artistic circles in the world. Who would have thought that this modest Australian woman could achieve so much from London to Louisiana to New York to Tokyo? Who could have anticipated her global fame? Barry Humphries certainly didn't.

Dame Edna will not like this book but Barry knows everything - the who, the why and the where - and, in this much-anticipated work, he will, for the first time, reveal all. This exhaustively researched account of Edna's roller coaster life will surely eclipse the bestsellers of Kitty Kelley. Essential reading for scholars, female achievers, fans of Dame Edna and those who feel that behind the fairy tale career lies a darker and more sinister story.

'A very, very funny expose of an Australian icon' Sunday Telegraph

'Without question, the most famous Australian woman in the world' Sydney Morning Herald

'An extravagant satirical fantasy' The Australian

'Tasteless, bordering on the offensive . . . and hugely enjoyable' The Australian Woman's Weekly