Michael Kara - King of the Jugglers, Juggler to Kings

This book is the biography of the originator of the 'gentleman' juggling act. Michael Kara, wearing a top hat and topcoat, carrying an umbrella, and smoking a cigar, would enter the stage and begin juggling. He performed in the best theaters in the world and made several tours of America. Kara was born on January 31, 1867, and his real name is Michael Steiner. His fame grew through the early years of the 20th century, and he was often fully booked years in advance. Sadly, at the outbreak of the First World War, he was passing through France and was forced to spend four years in a war prison camp, while his French wife disowned him and fled with his fortune. In 1918 he returned to Germany, 51 years old, penniless, and not having practiced his act for four years. His colleague Salerno loaned him props so that he could start again, and within a few months, tho old Kara was back! This is a fantastic story about one of the true innovators of the art of juggling and perseverance as an artist.