The King of Beggars and the Secret of Happiness

Joel ben Izzi is a professional performer of the speaking genre and a storytelling instructor. He taught employees of companies like Facebook, YouTube, Hewlett-Packard, and the animation studio Pixar the art of storytelling—a beautiful, coherent, and engaging presentation of stories. 

Joel... was convinced he had found the recipe for happiness—a wife, wonderful son and daughter, the work of his life... until one day he lost the most valuable thing for a person of his profession—his voice. With the help of his teacher, former storyteller Lenny, he learns to see his entire life and destiny as a unique and instructive story. Five years after the fateful loss, Joel ben Izzi wrote the first story of his life about himself—“The King of Beggars and the Secret of Happiness,” a tale about the importance of never losing hope and remembering that the end of one story can always be the beginning of another, new one. 

The atmospheric illustrations for the book were created by Rezo Gabriadze, a legendary artist, director, and screenwriter, recipient of the Nika, Triumph, and Golden Mask awards.