FROM THE EYE OF THE HURRICANE
From the Eye of the Hurricane
Alex Higgins
UK & Commonwealth rights: Headline
A Sunday Times bestseller
“The pages of my book will shock many.It is not for the faint hearted”.
The word 'genius' is over-used in sport but there is no question that it is appropriate when linked to Alex 'Hurricane' Higgins.With his flamboyant style, sex-appeal, glamour and more than a hint of menace, he revolutionised snooker, elevating it to the world stage and turning it into one of Britain's most popular sports.
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s Alex Higgins was one of the biggest names in the country on the front and back pages of the nation's papers.Twice world champion, the emotion he displayed when winning in 1982 was witnessed by millions on television and remains one of British sport's iconic images.But the tears shed that evening revealed the fragility of his character a character that has taken him to the top of the world and back down to the darkest corners.
Alcohol, drugs, domestic violence, affairs, divorce, threats to have a team mate killed, assaults on tournament referees, alienation from the sport he loves, gambling, lost days drinking with Oliver Reed, mixing with underworld characters and any number of other lurid tales form the framework of Alex Higgins's extraordinary life.From his dreams of being a jockey to suffering two bouts of cancer, bankruptcy and being forced to live off the generosity of others, Higgins has a tale like no other.For the first time, he tells it in his own words.
The Hurricane is back.Prepare to be caught up in the carnage.
Born in Belfast in 1949, Alex Higgins turned professional at the age of 22, having won numerous amateur snooker titles in Northern Ireland.A year later he won the World Championship, defeating John Spencer, and repeated his victory in 1982 when he beat Ray Reardon.His break of 69 against Jimmy White in the penultimate frame of the 1982 semi-final is regarded by many as the greatest break under pressure of all time.He was also twice world runner-up, in 1976 and 1980.He won the Benson & Hedges masters twice, in 1978 and 1981, and the UK Championship once, in 1983.He has two children and lives in Belfast.
