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Sarah: The Life of Sarah Bernhardt (Jewish Lives), by Robert Gottlieb
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Everything about Sarah Bernhardt is fascinating, from her obscure birth to her glorious career—redefining the very nature of her art—to her amazing (and highly public) romantic life to her indomitable spirit. Well into her seventies, after the amputation of her leg, she was performing under bombardment for soldiers during World War I, as well as crisscrossing America on her ninth American tour.
Her family was also a source of curiosity: the mother she adored and who scorned her; her two half-sisters, who died young after lives of dissipation; and most of all, her son, Maurice, whom she worshiped and raised as an aristocrat, in the style appropriate to his presumed father, the Belgian Prince de Ligne. Only once did they quarrel—over the Dreyfus Affair. Maurice was a right-wing snob; Sarah, always proud of her Jewish heritage, was a passionate Dreyfusard and Zolaist.
Though the Bernhardt literature is vast, Gottlieb’s Sarah is the first English-language biography to appear in decades. Brilliantly, it tracks the trajectory through which an illegitimate—and scandalous—daughter of a courtesan transformed herself into the most famous actress who ever lived, and into a national icon, a symbol of France.
- Sales Rank: #1117952 in Books
- Published on: 2013-04-30
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 8.20" h x .70" w x 5.50" l, .66 pounds
- Binding: Paperback
- 256 pages
From Booklist
Gottlieb, author of George Balanchine: The Ballet Maker (2004), launches Yale’s Jewish Lives series with a digestible account of the life and times of the “Divine Sarah.” Although much has been already been written about Sarah, most of it has been embellished—the imaginative actress herself was not above creatively reworking or entirely fabricating episodes from her own life. What Gottlieb attempts, and mostly succeeds in doing, is separating the legend from the reality. When he is unable to do so definitively, he grounds each scenario in whatever historical evidence or plausible data does exist, allowing readers to draw their own educated conclusions. Where this biography truly shines, however, is in the mini-portraits of the people who played significant roles in Sarah’s saga; family, friends, colleagues, rivals, admirers, detractors, and lovers are vividly brought to life. The result: one of the greatest actresses of all time stars in the story of her life, surrounded by an extraordinary cast of supporting characters. --Margaret Flanagan
Review
"[This] is that rarest of books, a serious biography that reads not only like a novel, but like a big, romantic, sprawling, over-the-top novel. . . . A wonderful book."—Michael Korda, Daily Beast
(Michael Korda The Daily Beast)
"Mr. Gottlieb's fluid style and lightly worn authority offer a lucid and essential modern guide to the making of celebrity, in an era before the noun existed."--Norman Lebrecht, Wall Street Journal
(Norman Lebrecht Wall Street Journal)
"A fascinating look at Bernhardt's mythology and the stagecraft behind it. . . . What Sarah understood--as Gottlieb, a storied editor and publisher, makes clear--was how the heightened drama of performance might be extended to her own life."--Vogue
(Vogue)
"Robert Gottlieb is true to the mystery of his subject's self-invented life. He also does what few biographers of famous women seem able or willing to do: He focuses on her work. . . . Vintage Gottleib, full of humor and refreshingly free of hagiography."--Susan Salter Reynolds, Los Angeles Times
(Susan Salter Reynolds Los Angeles Times)
"Immensely entertaining."--Jeremy McCarter, Newsweek
(Jeremy McCarter Newsweek)
"A delectable, witty short biography of legendary French actress Sarah Bernhardt, and a decidedly unstuffy debut for Yale's Jewish Lives series."--Shelf Awareness
(Shelf Awareness)
"Gottlieb's Sarah is a fine introduction to a fascinating woman, giving the reader a lively sense of why, so many decades after her death, the name of Sarah Bernhardt, above all others, still stands for actress."--Julius Novick, The Forward
(Julius Novick The Forward)
"Avoiding pedantry on the one hand and prurience on the other, [Gottlieb] writes about Bernhardt with convincing respect and sympathy, tempered with quiet amusement at her oddities and excesses. . . . His conversational, urbane prose is accompanied by numerous illustrations, including a splendid gallery of full-page photos showing Bernhardt in 16 of her famous roles. Gottlieb's Sarah is a fine introduction to a fascinating woman, giving the reader a lively sense of why, so many decades after her death, the name of Sarah Bernhardt, above all others, still stands for actress."--Julius Novick, The Forward (Julius Novick The Forward)
"There's an amazing amount of information here, about an amazing woman. . . . This is the first English-language biography of Sarah Bernhardt, and it is wonderfully informative as well as entertaining. I'm glad I've been given the opportunity to experience it, and will never again think of her as just that woman who was famous for playing Hamlet."--Shakespeare Geek
(Shakespeare Geek)
"An elegant and engaging portrait worthy of Bernhardt. . . a terrific book."--Glenn C. Altschuler, NPR Books We Like
(Glenn C. Altschuler NPR Books We Like)
"Comprehensive and illuminating about many things besides Bernhardt--French anti-Semitism, sexual mores amongst the intellectual aristocracy, etc.--without being exhausting. I can't imagine Bernhardt's story being told better."--Scott Eyman, Palm Beach Post
(Scott Eyman Palm Beach Post)
"Appropriately lively. . . Gottlieb's affable, anecdotal style suits the subject well."--Graham Robb, New York Review of Books
(Graham Robb New York Review of Books)
"Sarah Bernhardt is a gift to the raconteur. Mr. Gottlieb takes full advantage. Where he can, he stages her life as a performance, with knowing asides and a certain kind of old-fashioned fun." — Economist
(Economist)
"[A] sharp, efficient biography."--Emma Brockes, New York Times Book Review
(Emma Brockes New York Times Book Review)
"A fascinating look at Bernhardt's mythology and the stagecraft behind it. . . . What Sarah understood--as Gottlieb, a storied editor and publisher makes clear--was how the heightened drama of performance might be extended to her own life."--Vogue
(Vogue)
"Robert Gottlieb's book is appropriately small, beautiful and packed with drama. . . . Mr. Gottlieb is a meticulous reader, researcher and distiller of information. . . . Although he claims we can know little about her actual performances, he manages to make them come alive. I see her and hear her, declamatory to our modern sensibilities, alarmingly natural and passionate to audiences of the late 19th century."--Kathleen George, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
(Kathleen George Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
"One ends this breathlessly readable and deeply intelligent book in as much awe of Sarah as people and audiences were in her own lifetime; it is that rarest of books, a serious biography that reads not only like a novel, but like a big, romantic, sprawling, over-the-top novel. Gottlieb has made of her story a wonderful book--one, which, to pay it its highest due, any editor, including himself (and me), would give his or her eye-teeth to have published!"--Michael Korda, Daily Beast
(Michael Korda Daily Beast)
'A book that is wise, funny, affectionate and enjoyable as well as blessedly compact.' — John Carey, Sunday Times (John Carey Sunday Times 2010-10-03)
"In his timely new biography, Sarah: The Life of Sarah Bernhardt, Robert Gottlieb traces the meteoric, improbable, epic life of the illegitimate daughter of a high-flying Paris courtesan who became the most famous actress in theater history."--Joseph A. Harris, American Spectator (Joseph A. Harris American Spectator)
"In 'Sarah: The Life of Sarah Berndhardt', Robert Gottlieb presents (his subject) appreciatively, in full color, in all her exuberance, extravagance, beauty, passion and talent. This is the first English-language biography in decades of the first internationally known stage star."--Sandee Brawarsky, New York Jewish Week (Sandee Brawarsky New York Jewish Week)
"At only 220 pages, Sarah is necessarily a breathless account of a life that would happily occupy a book three times longer; yet it makes for an absorbing, at times fantastical read, and is leavened throughout by a dry wit and affectionate scepticism."—Michael Simkins, Mail on Sunday (Michael Simkins Mail on Sunday 2011-06-01)
"A fabulous story and Gottlieb has produced a brilliant short biography, telling you everything you want to know in 200 pages. He’s especially good at analysing what Sarah’s magic was but there was so much of it you’ll have to read the book to find out."—Duncan Fallowell, Daily Express (Duncan Fallowell Daily Express 2010-10-22)
"Robert Gottlieb is a firmly even-handed biographer and his engagingly zippy account focuses particularly on exposing the cracks in the contradictory stories that Bernhardt and her hagiographers assembled about her life…This is a sterling biography, equal to its subject."—Olivia Laing, The Observer (Olivia Laing The Observer 2010-10-25)
"Although Bernhardt's fame is universal and the literature about her immense, the major postwar English language biographies have long been out of print...Gottlieb's succinct survey is timely"—Rupert Christiansen, Literary Review (Rupert Christiansen Literary Review 2010-10-07)
"Suave, intelligent, always slyly entertaining."—Terry Castle, London Review Of Books (Terry Castle London Review Of Books 2010-11-04)
"A riveting account of a life lived in the spotlight"—Richard Edmonds, Birmingham Post (Richard Edmonds Birmingham Post 2011-10-14)
Honorable Mention in the Biography/Autobiography category of the 2010 Los Angeles Book Festival (Biography/Autobiography Honorable Mention Los Angeles Book Festival 2011-02-28)
"Short, witty and tender…This book is one that your friends and family will actually want to read: a better stocking-topper for the literary-minded is hard to imagine."—Miranda Seymour, The Lady (Miranda Seymour The Lady 2010-11-02)
"Gottlieb does an excellent job describing Bernhardt, making her come alive for the reader or, perhaps more accurately, making her larger-than-life personality seem real. With its general overview of her life, the book serves as a perfect introduction to her personal life and her career."—Rabbi Rachel Esserman, Voice of the Dutchess Jewish Community (Rabbi Rachel Esserman Voice of the Dutchess Jewish Community)
"Gottlieb shows in this fine, sympathetic biography [that Sarah Bernhardt] put the world on a leash and added it to her own private menagerie."—Betty Smartt Carter, Books & Culture (Betty Smartt Carter Books & Culture)
"Very readable. . . . Gottlieb holds the reader's interest throughout. . . . [An] excellent biography. . . . Recommended very highly for casual reader as well as for specialists."—Richard Weigel, Pages (Richard Weigel Pages)
"Robert Gottlieb's biography of Bernhardt is very readable and covers the actress' fascinating life qutie well."—Richard Weigel, Bowling Green Daily News (Richard Weigel Bowling Green Daily News)
"Gottlieb writes about Bernhardt with convincing respect and sympathy, tempered with quiet amusement at her oddities and excesses. His lucid, conversational, urbane prose is accompanied by numerous illustrations. . . . Gottlieb's Sarah is a fine introduction to a fascinating woman."—Julius Novick, Forward (Julius Novick Forward)
Received Honorable Mention in the Biography/Autobiography category of the 2010 New England Book Festival (Biography Honorable Mention New England Book Festival)
"it's an ambitious book, a real doorstopper. . . . You'll learn all manner of facts."—David Wood, Book Report (David Wood Book Report)
"[Robert Gottlieb] does what few biographers of famous women do: He focuses on her work."—Susan Salter Reynolds, Newsday (Susan Salter Reynolds Newsday)
"Robert Gottlieb presents her appreciatively, in full color, in all her exuberance, extravagance, beauty, passion and talent."—Sandee Brawarsky, (Sandee Brawarsky The Jewish Week)
"Gottlieb's Life casts a reassuringly sceptical eye over a plethora of less-than-reliable writings about Berhardt, some of them the actress's own memoirs."—John Nathan, Jewish Chronicle (John Nathan Jewish Chronicle 2010-10-05)
“With panache worthy of his subject, Gottlieb lays out the players as if Bernhardt’s life were a stage drama. His charismatic prose captures the spell of the consummate mythmaker.”—Carol Ockman, coauthor of Sarah Bernhardt: The Art of High Drama (Carol Ockman)
“Robert Gottlieb sifts through the fiction in this hugely entertaining biography of the theatrical legend, and often casts doubt on the competing accounts of her life with little more than a raised eyebrow.”—Victoria Segal, The Guardian (Victoria Segal The Guardian 2014-01-18)
About the Author
Robert Gottlieb is the author of Lives and Letters, George Balanchine, and Great Expectations: The Sons and Daughters of Charles Dickens. His career in publishing—as editor-in-chief of Simon and Schuster, Alfred A. Knopf, and The New Yorker—is legendary.
Most helpful customer reviews
19 of 19 people found the following review helpful.
BRILLIANTLY DONE
By Wooley in PSL
Robert Gottlieb is a excellent writer and has a way with his style to give the reader a great insight to his subject. Just look at READING JAZZ, READING DANCE, READING LYRIC, or his great book on George Ballanchine to admire and praise his work. Now he takes on Sarah Bernhardt, in SARAH: THE LIFE OF SARAH BERNHARDT. Brilliantly done. Probably the most noted actress of the era, she died in 1923, Gottlieb uses historic records to investigate conflicting stories about her life. Bernherdt was brilliant and even made trips to the USA from France. She was lover to many including royalty, mother, and outspoken in intellectual circles. Read this biography of a lady yoou probably know little about. Enjoy, Recommended
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful.
The First Superstar
By Rob Hardy
We say that performers are "legendary," but the word cannot be applied any more fittingly than to Sarah Bernhardt, whose name is synonymous with drama, or with excessive drama. Her performances were sensations all around the world, even among people who didn't understand a word of French; she was a world-wide celebrity long before we had the current media to make such celebrities commonplace, and no current performer is as famous or scandalous as she was in her day. She has had plenty of biographers, but the current _Sarah: The Life of Sarah Bernhardt_ (Yale University Press) by Robert Gottlieb is a brisk and sharp attempt to acknowledge the myths about the actress while attempting to understand her core. She made this difficult, because in her own stories about her life she was a relentless fabulist. Alexandre Dumas _fils_ who wrote plays with her in mind thought her deceitfulness was an essential part of her genius: "You know," he said of the actress who was famously and unfashionably thin, "she's such a liar, she may even be fat!" The stories about her are genuinely entertaining, though, and although she distorted her past, she was always in full charge of her present.
She never lied about her origins as far as her illegitimacy was concerned. Her father, whoever he was, never played a role in her life; her mother was hugely influential, but was often a force to be overcome. One of the mother's lovers arranged for Bernhardt to go to the Paris Conservatoire to learn the art of acting. Initially, however, there was not enough theater work. She lived by her wits, attending public balls and parties, and taking on the role as courtesan assigned to her by her mother. She displayed a remarkable talent for cultivating male friendship, and "managed to establish a kind of court, made up of a group of distinguished men who were seemingly content to pay joint homage (and a fairly allocated tariff) to her while sharing her favors openly and with equanimity." Lovers came and went, but seldom left in anger; she kept ex-lovers as friends for life. Henry James thought she was a genius at advertising herself by stunts. She made sure the public knew and discussed her eccentricities. At a time when women wore hats with stuffed birds on them to give them color, Bernhardt had a hat with a stuffed bat on it. She slept in her own coffin, and traveled with it so she could do so. She kept a menagerie of wild animals in her home, a cheetah, a wolf, a boa constrictor, and even an alligator. She sculpted with some skill. Always people could talk about her affairs, and she genuinely had some sort of grand talent on the stage. She had made herself simply the most famous woman in the world. She was to travel all around that world with success. She was no linguist, and always played her roles in French; uncomprehending audiences understood enough to be ecstatic. They had, of course, not come to be moved by the play or the words but to be overcome by Sarah Bernhardt. Her supposed wickedness only increased the curiosity of people to come to see her in America. Commodore Vanderbilt went to every one of her New York performances, and wept every time. In deeply Catholic and anti-Semitic Montreal, she might have gotten threats from the riffraff, but fans ignored the commands from their priests to avoid her performances. Wherever she arrived, there were interviews with the press. She was adept at commercializing her name, for soap, headache remedies, and bicycles. With fame came parody; in Philadelphia, she collapsed in laughter when she saw a famous female impersonator performing as "Sarah Heartburn."
To one lover, she once wrote, "You must realize that I am not made for happiness. It is not my fault that I am constantly in search of new sensations, new emotions." It is hard to imagine that with all the sensations she was not somehow happy. She was disciplined and ambitious, and accomplished what she set out for. She was certainly generous, and genuinely heroic; during the Franco-Prussian War she turned her theater into a hospital and took an active part in nursing wounded soldiers, not just in boosting morale. Decades later during World War One, she went on a grueling tour of the trench front, only shortly after having a leg amputated. Her funeral procession in 1923 was attended by perhaps half a million mourners who sincerely felt France's loss; she had been given the Légion d'Honneur. It is a wonderful story, and Gottlieb wisely includes many of Sarah's own anecdotes, now and then giving such warnings as, "This is certainly a good story, so why ask whether it is a true one?" It is just the right attitude for an entertaining biography of a legend.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful.
Remarkable View of a Remarkable Person
By Frederick B. Glaser
Having been born in 1935, I am not a Bernhardt contemporary, though I certainly remember my mother (and especially my Grandmother) talking about her. But I was unprepared for the remarkable individual portrayed in this eminently readable biography. She was truly an extraordinary person, as well as perhaps the greatest actress ever, and the biography does her justice. Many biographies are difficult to negotiate; this is an exception, being written with grace and generous humor, as well as by someone who is a menschenkenner -- someone who knows people. Sarah Bernhardt rose from humble and unpromising beginnings to overcome all obstacles; her life was a triumph of talent and fortitude over multiple obstacles. Who would not benefit from learning more about her story?
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