Strawberry Fields in the Desert

<P><B>The true-but-little-known story of how John Lennon came to compose one of the most iconic songs ever written: “Strawberry Fields Forever”</B></P><P>In Autumn 1966, following the Beatles’ retirement from touring amid global controversy, John Lennon found a new part to play, as an actor in Richard Lester’s film<I> How I Won the War. </I>This took him to Almería, in southeastern Spain, where he wrote and recorded the first demos of the legendary song “Strawberry Fields Forever.”</P><P>But how would this Spanish province help shape a song named after a children’s home in Liverpool? How would the man who claimed the Beatles were “more popular than Jesus” respond to the ongoing press backlash? How would he handle himself in a cast of established actors? Why did he help a local teacher with song lyrics? And why did he start wearing those trademark specs?</P><P><I>Strawberry Fields in the Desert</I> unfurls a colorful tapestry of lesser-known moments from Lennon’s brief Spanish sojourn, accompanied by a range of vivid real-life characters, from the now legendary members of Lennon’s inner circle to those all-but-forgotten locals, who long remembered that short but pivotal time. These real-life witness testimonies are adapted from those shared with author J. Adolfo Iglesias and strikingly imagined by illustrator Rafa Amat: a unique view through a narrow window into musical myth.</P><P>The book also includes an illustrated essay by author J. Adolfo Iglesias, featuring previously unpublished photographs of John Lennon. [This publication has not been prepared, approved, authorized or licensed by the John Lennon estate or any related entity.]</P>