He was born Allan Konigsberg in the Bronx, but his personal destiny and some of filmdom`s most celebrated comedies -- Annie Hall, Manhattan, Crimes and Misdemeanors -- have made Woody Allen the quintessential New Yorker. This telling, new biography -- the first since the tabloids headlined his rift with his long-term mistress, Mia Farrow, and his affair with her adopted daughter, Soon-Yi -- tells how a reclusive, melancholy kid achieved unparalleled success as a screenwriter, director, and star. It also explores the real Woody Allen, the critically acclaimed filmmaker from the Upper East Side, and his amusing movie persona of a neurotic and lovable loser. Shrewdly and effectively deconstructing Woody, John Baxter`s biography illuminates Allen`s preoccupation with sex and mortality, his personal quirks and obsessions, his manipulation of celebrity, and his cinematic achievement as chronicler and court jester of Manhattan`s intellectual elite. Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.