Cirque du Soleil’s Guy Laliberté Heading into Outer Space !
Ian Halperin, author of the sole biography of Laliberté, will be available for media questions during Laliberté’s 12-day mission
Montreal, Tuesday, September 29, 2009 – On September 30, in celebration of his 50th birthday, Guy Laliberté, the billionaire founder of Cirque du Soleil, will blast off into space from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. In doing so, he will officially become Canada’s first space tourist atan estimated personal cost of $35 million.
Laliberté’s 12-day visit to the International Space Station is his personal “Poetic Social Mission in Space,” whose purpose is to educate people on global water issues. On October 9, while orbiting the Earth, Laliberté will host a special 2-hour “artistic happening,” entitled Moving Stars and Earth for Water, which will be broadcast from 14 cities around the world. This global spectacle is intended to raise world awareness for water conservation. The theme of the show will unfold as Laliberté reads from a specially commissioned story by renowned Canadian novelist and Man-Booker Prize-winner Yann Martel. Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, singers Peter Gabriel and Shakira, actress Salma Hayek, Canadian astronaut Julie Payette, and musical group U2 have already announced their participation in this unprecedented global event.
On June 2, 2009, Montreal-based Transit Publishing released the first critical, independent biography of Laliberté entitled Guy Laliberté: The Fabulous Story of the Creator of Cirque du Soleil www.transitpublishing.com/Guy_Laliberte.php. Author Ian Halperin, will be available between Sept. 29th and Oct. 12 to answer questions about Laliberté the artist, entrepreneur, and now space traveller. Ian is also the author of the #1 New York Times Bestseller, Unmasked: The Final Years of Michael Jackson published in July 2009.
Guy Laliberté is a Canadian like no other. He left home at age 14 to travel the world as a street performer. Since founding Cirque du Soleil 25 years ago, he has entertained millions of spectators worldwide. His creative genius and maverick business acumen have made him one of the richest people on the planet.
On Sept. 23, the 2nd edition of Guy Laliberté: The Fabulous Story of the Creator of Cirque du Soleil was released in Canada and, on the same day, became available in the U.S. for the first time.
About the book:
Guy Laliberté: The Fabulous Story of the Creator of Cirque du Soleil is available in both English and French editions. Over 50,000 copies have been sold in Canada.
The author of this independent biography, former Montrealer Ian Halperin, has also written the flagship book of the summer, Unmasked: The Final Years of Michael Jackson,which topped the prestigious New York Times bestseller list and has reached the highest ranks of major book sales lists in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., and France. Ian Halperin is a journalist, filmmaker and author of ten books. A specialist in undercover investigations, he contributes to FoxNews.com, E Channel and Court TV.
The French version of this press release is available on demand.
Contact:
François Turgeon
General Director, Transit Publishing Inc.
+1-514-273-0123
For more information about Transit and our books, please visit: www.transitpublishing.com
About Transit Publishing:
At Transit Publishing, boundaries exist only to be crossed. We publish in English and French from the culturally diverse cities of Montreal, Toronto, and New York. Transit specializes in popular biographies and produces both non-fiction and general fiction titles. Unmasked: The Final Years of Michael Jackson by Ian Halperin was our runaway international bestseller this year. Transit is headed by Pierre Turgeon, a two-time Canadian Governor General’s Literary Award winner with over 30 years of experience in the international publishing industry as a journalist, historian, editor, and novelist. Transit books in English are distributed by Georgetown Publications (www.georgetownpublications.com) in Canada and by the National Book Network (www.nbnbooks.com) in the United States.
