The attraction of opera is in its scale, in the fact that it is larger than real life in actions and emotions, more magnificent in sound and in sight . And in the world of opera, no figure in our time has been larger than Luciano Pavarotti. Especially in his triumphant collaborations with Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras, he has captured the imagination of an audience breadth and depth is remarkable even in the grand context of classical opera. Now Pavorotti has once again joined with William Wright to update his autobiography, Pavarotti: My Story, originally published fifteen years ago. Shared with millions of fans are both the fortunate and the regrettable events that have marked his life to the present day: his forays into popular music, his performances in China and the boos he endured at La Scala.

Pavarotti was born in Modena, Italy, the first child and only son of a baker. As a boy, sports occupied much of his time. In fact, he earned his first local fame as a member of the town's soccer team, excelling at the game he has followed passionately ever since.