That Furious Lesbian: The Story of Mercedes de Acosta (Theater in the Americas)
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.96 (692 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0809325799 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 240 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2015-01-09 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
An entertaining biography.”New York Times Book Review
Although only two of her plays were ever published during her lifetime, four of them were produced, featuring such stage luminaries as John Gielgud, Ralph Richardson, and Eva Le Gallienne. Schanke has edited a companion to this biography, Women in Turmoil: Six Plays by Mercedes de Acosta,also available from Southern Illinois University Press.. Alice B. Schanke adroitly mines lost archival materials and mixes in his own interviews with de Acosta’s intimates to correct established myths and at last construct an accurate, detailed, and vibrant portrait of the flamboyantly uninhibited early-twentieth-century author, poet, and playwright. Born to wealthy Spanish immigrants, Mercedes de Acosta (18931968) lived in opulence and traveled in the same social circles as the Astors and Vanderbilts. With That Furious Lesbian” Schanke at last establishes Mercedes de Acosta’s rightful place as a pioneerand indeed a championin the early struggle for lesbian rights in this country. Robert A. Toklas&
"Five Stars" according to Jeannie L. Artimisi. Perfect. Author can't bring to life this fascinating woman There is lots of interesting information in this biography of a somewhat forgotten woman, but it reads more like a dissertation than an engrossing story. The challenge for a biographer is to bring his or her subject to life, and unfortunately the facts are not enlivened in this volume.. Kevin Killian said Silk purse vs. sow's ear. Schanke's previous book on the stage actress Eva Le Gallienne was a knockout, and this one suffers in comparison. Perhaps the character of Mercedes was just too hard to pin down, and this may not be Schanke's fault. Acosta's work seems slight and dated, and no amount of cutting and pasting is going to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. This leaves her as a