Eugene Burger (June 1, 1939 – August 8, 2017) was an American magician. He was born in 1939 and was based in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

. He was reputed for his

close-up A close-up or closeup in filmmaking, television production, still photography, and the comic strip medium is a type of shot that tightly frames a person or object. Close-ups are one of the standard shots used regularly with medium and long s ...

skills and his work in

mentalism Mentalism is a performing art in which its practitioners, known as mentalists, appear to demonstrate highly developed mental or intuitive abilities. Performances may appear to include hypnosis, telepathy, clairvoyance, divination, precognition ...

and

bizarre magic Magic, which encompasses the subgenres of illusion, stage magic, and close up magic, among others, is a performing art in which audiences are entertained by tricks, effects, or illusions of seemingly impossible feats, using natural means. It ...

. Burger was also a

philosopher A philosopher is a person who practices or investigates philosophy. The term ''philosopher'' comes from the grc, φιλόσοφος, , translit=philosophos, meaning 'lover of wisdom'. The coining of the term has been attributed to the Greek th ...

and a historian of religion. He had degrees in philosophy and earned a Bachelor of

Divinity Divinity or the divine are things that are either related to, devoted to, or proceeding from a deity.divine

degree in 1964 from

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

and taught university courses in comparative religion and philosophy. Burger frequently taught at the McBride Magic & Mystery School in

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

. He was the author of books on the presentation of close up magic and was featured on several instructional DVDs and videos for magicians. He produced an audio program called ''Growing in the Art of Magic''. Eugene died of cancer in Chicago on August 8, 2017. He was 78.

Books and DVDs

* "Secrets and Mysteries for the Close-Up Entertainer" (1982) * ''Intimate Power'' (1983) * ''The Experience of Magic'' (1989) * ''Strange Ceremonies'' (1991) * ''Spirit Theater'' (1986) * ''The Performance of Close-Up Magic'' (1987) * ''Meaning and Magic'' (expanded) * ''Mastering the Art of Magic'' * ''Mystery School'' (2003) with Jeff McBride * ''Eugene Goes Bizarre'' * ''Real Magic'' * ''Gourmet Closeup Magic'' * ''Eugene Burger's Magical Voyages'' * ''Eugene Burger Presents Exploring Magical Presentation'' * ''A Magical Vision (Documentary on Eugene Burger, written and directed by Michael Caplan)'' * ''Final Secrets by Lawrence Hass and Eugene Burger''

Notable appearances in print

In 1982, Burger was featured on the cover of

The Linking Ring ''The Linking Ring'' is a monthly print magic magazine published by the International Brotherhood of Magicians (IBM) for its members since 1922. It is based in Bluffton, Ohio. In 2007, Samuel Patrick Smith, a magician, author and publisher based ...

magazine.

Awards

Burger was considered "one of the 100 most influential magicians of the 20th century" by

MAGIC Magazine ''MAGIC'', also known as ''The Magazine for Magicians'', was an independent magazine for magicians that was based in Las Vegas, Nevada. A creation of Stan Allen, it debuted in September 1991, with its first issue featuring Lance Burton on the cove ...

. In 2012, the Fédération Internationale des Sociétés Magiques (FISM) presented him with a special award for Magic Theory.

References

External links

Official Eugene Burger homepage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burger, Eugene 1939 births 2017 deaths American magicians People from Chicago Yale Divinity School alumni Academy of Magical Arts Close-Up Magician of the Year winners Academy of Magical Arts Lecturer of the Year winners Academy of Magical Arts Performing Fellowship winners