How a busker became a billionaire

Even compared with Cirque du Soleil's vertiginous wonders, Guy Laliberte's real-life ascent has been awe-inspiring. The circus troupe's founder parlayed a fire-breathing, stilt-walking street act into a globe-striding entertainment company with more than 4,000 employees.

Who is Guy Laliberte, 50, the creative force behind the curtain? Ian Halperin, a Montreal-born writer and celeb-gossip blogger, tries to answer that question in Guy Laliberte: The Fabulous Life of the Creator of Cirque du Soleil.

At its best, the unauthorised biography paints a picture of a man with many of the classic characteristics of the successful entrepreneur. Laliberte is shown to be relentless, resilient and, perhaps most important, unfazed by risk and even the possibility of catastrophic failure.

There's interesting material about the days in the 1980s, when a bunch of Quebecois hippies slowly discovered how to form a live-performance company, as well as an account of how Laliberte took a make-or-break gamble when he brought the newly emergent Cirque to Los Angeles in 1987 for a series of shows.

The book doesn't have any pretensions of being a thorough, academic exercise. Halperin, who calls himself a "long- time investigative journalist," skims over parts of Cirque du Soleil's history while spending an inordinate amount of space on titillating tales from people identified only by a first name.

The overall tone of the book is largely positive about Laliberte. The author quotes dozens of people who alternately defend and gush about the Cirque founder and his accomplishments.

First released in Canada in June, the book has been the subject of several legal wrangles, including one over the publication of details of a civil case involving Laliberte.

Meanwhile, in a Journal de Montreal interview, Laliberte called the publication "a pile of gossip and falsehoods".

Cirque du Soleil's legal responses and Laliberte's comments may serve to increase interest in the book rather than diminish it. Too bad Halperin's work isn't worth any of the fuss it may cause. The author dredges up enough material to make it plainer than ever that Laliberte is a great creative force worthy of a major biography. But Halperin's book, sadly, isn't it.


- Guy Laliberte: The Fabulous Life of the Creator of Cirque du Soleil. Out now from Dh85

Keep up with the latest business news from the region with the Emirates Business 24|7 daily newsletter. To subscribe to the newsletter, please click here.