Paths Without Glory

With all Burton left behind, and all he didn't, it's been possible to use many different epitaphs to characterize him-genius, hero, misfit, egomaniac, madman, bigot, revolutionary, misanthrope, gypsy, to cite a few that have some ring of truth to them. Two others, though, perhaps come closer to the real Burton. One is that of explorer,...someone "who risks uncertain paths to the unknown."...The other is "actor." His most famous role was that of impersonator, but there were others, such as provocateur and victim, the two sometimes conflated, which he played on many occasions. To this must be added the epitaph cultural critic. Sometimes an outsider looking in, at other times he was an insider looking out. Book jacket.