Biography: arts and entertainment Books

Book SynopsisRichard Wagner (1813-1883) aimed to be more than just a composer. He set out to redefine opera as a total work of art combining the highest aspirations of drama, poetry, the symphony, the visual arts, even religion and philosophy. Equally celebrated and vilified in his own time, Wagner continues to provoke debate today regarding his political legacy as well as his music and aesthetic theories. Wagner and His World examines his works in their intellectual and cultural contexts. Seven original essays investigate such topics as music drama in light of rituals of naming in the composer''s works and the politics of genre; the role of leitmotif in Wagner''s reception; the urge for extinction in Tristan und Isolde as psychology and symbol; Wagner as his own stage director; his conflicted relationship with pianist-composer Franz Liszt; the anti-French satire Eine Kapitulation in the context of the Franco-Prussian War; and responses of Jewish writers and musTrade Review"Offers much stimulating material, presented in kaleidoscopic fashion, that should be required reading for anyone desiring a more profound insight."--Della Couling, Classical Music Magazine "Grey once again has ferreted out themes and original material on the composer which have not been over-exposed in English translation."--Mike Ashman, GramophoneTable of ContentsPreface and Acknowledgments ix Permissions xv PART I: ESSAYS From Page to Stage: Wagner as Regisseur 3 KATHERINE SYER Wagner and Liszt: Elective Affinities 27 KENNETH HAMILTON From Opera to Music Drama: Nominal Loss, Titular Gain 65 LYDIA GOEHR Eine Kapitulation: Aristophanic Operetta as Cultural Warfare 87 in 1870 THOMAS S. GREY A Note on Tristan's Death Wish 123 KAROL BERGER Guides for Wagnerites: Leitmotifs and Wagnerian Listening 133 CHRISTIAN THORAU German Jews and Wagner 151 LEON BOTSTEIN PART II: BIOGRAPHICAL CONTEXTS Wilhelmine Schroder-Devrient and Wagner's Dresden 201 CLAIRE VON GLUMER, HENRY CHORLEY TRANSLATED, INTRODUCED, AND ANNOTATED BY THOMAS S. GREY Catulle Mendes Visits Tribschen 230 CATULLE MENDES TRANSLATED, INTRODUCED, AND ANNOTATED BY THOMAS S. GREY Recollections of Villa Wahnfried from Wagner's American Dentist 237 NEWELL SILL JENKINS INTRODUCED AND ANNOTATED BY THOMAS S. GREY PART III: TOWARD A MUSIC OF THE FUTURE, 1840-1860 The Overture to Tannhauser 251 FRANZ LISZT INTRODUCED, EDITED, AND ANNOTATED BY DAVID TRIPPETT TRANSLATED BY JOHN SULLIVAN DWIGHT Letters to a Young Composer About Wagner 269 JOHANN CHRISTIAN LOBE INTRODUCED, EDITED, AND TRANSLATED BY DAVID TRIPPETT Franz Brendel's Reconciliation Address 311 FRANZ BRENDEL INTRODUCED AND ANNOTATED BY JAMES DEAVILLE TRANSLATED BY JAMES DEAVILLE AND MARY A. CICORA PART IV: WAGNER AND PARIS Wagner Admires Meyerbeer (Les Huguenots) 335 RICHARD WAGNER TRANSLATED, INTRODUCED, AND ANNOTATED BY THOMAS S. GREY Debacle at the Paris Opera: 347 Tannhauser and the French Critics, 1861 OSCAR COMETTANT, PAUL SCUDO TRANSLATED BY THOMAS S. GREY INTRODUCED BY ANNEGRET FAUSER ANNOTATED BY ANNEGRET FAUSER AND THOMAS S. GREY The Revue wagnerienne: Symbolism, Aestheticism, 372 and Germanophilia J. K. HUYSMANS, TEODOR DE WYZEWA, EDOUARD DUJARDIN INTRODUCED BY STEVEN HUEBNER SELECTIONS TRANSLATED BY BRENDAN KING AND CHARLOTTE MANDELL PART V: THE BAYREUTH ERA Press Releases from the Bayreuth Festival, 1876: 391 An Early Attempt at Spin Control J. ZIMMERMANN INTRODUCED, TRANSLATED, AND ANNOTATED BY NICHOLAS VAZSONYI Hanslick contra Wagner: 409 "The Ring Cycle Comes to Vienna" and "Parsifal Literature" EDUARD HANSLICK TRANSLATED, INTRODUCED, AND ANNOTATED BY THOMAS S. GREY Hans von Wolzogen's Parsifal (1887) 426 HANS VON WOLZOGEN TRANSLATED, INTRODUCED, AND EDITED BY MARY A. CICORA Cosima Wagner's Bayreuth 435 RICHARD POHL, ARTHUR SEIDL, EUGEN GURA, ARNOLD SCHERING, HEINRICH CHEVALLEY TRANSLATED BY MARY A. CICORA INTRODUCED AND ANNOTATED BY DAVID BRECKBILL PART VI: THE COMPLETE PROGRAM NOTES OF RICHARD WAGNER Wagner Introduces Wagner (and Beethoven): 479 Program Notes Written for Concert Performances by and of Richard Wagner, 1846-1880 RICHARD WAGNER TRANSLATED, ANNOTATED, AND INTRODUCED BY THOMAS S. GREY Beethoven's Ninth Symphony Beethoven's Eroica Symphony Beethoven's Coriolan Overture Overture to Tannhauser Overture to Der fliegende Hollander Prelude to Lohengrin Tannhauser Lohengrin L. van Beethoven, String Quartet in C-sharp Minor, op. 131 Tristan und Isolde: Prelude to Act 1 Tristan und Isolde: Prelude to Act 1 and Conclusion ("Transfiguration") Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg: Preludes to Acts 1 and 3 Gotterdammerung Die Walkure Parsifal: Prelude to Act 1 Index 523 Notes on the Contributors 539

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"A Choice Outstanding Academic Title in Fine Arts""One cannot help admiring how, through her own fertile processes of thought and analogy, Geddes mirrors the astonishing liveliness of Leonardo’s creative imagination."---Francis Ames-Lewis, Burlington Magazine"Compelling. . . . an exciting addition to the new field of the environmental humanities." * Choice *"A timely invitation to a close reading of Leonardo’s drawings, not as a purely artistic medium but also as a versatile means of engaging with nature."---Anatole Tchikine, Renaissance Quarterly

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"A Times Literary Supplement Book of the Year 2021""Longlisted for the Kraszna-Krausz Book Award, Moving Image Category""Longlisted for the National Translation Award, American Literary Translators Association""A revelation, a trove of snappy pieces that give the reader tantalizing glimpses of the mature film satirist."---Marc Weingarten, Washington Post"The brightest moments here let you watch a little more of the human comedy through Billy Wilder’s eyes. Few saw it as clearly he did or had more fun writing it down."---Jeremy McCarter, Wall Street Journal"Readers who come to Billy Wilder on Assignment to find the seeds of the films for which he is famous—nearly all of them, one assumes—will not be disappointed."---Ryan Ruby, Bookforum"A delicious compilation."---Tobias Grey, Financial Times ​​​​​"The most successful story in this collection, ‘Waiter, a Dancer, Please!,’ about being a hoofer for hire at a big hotel, is waspish and (if you allow for the choppy sentences) jazz-era excitable, New Yorker–ish, with a self-deprecating turn and a fairly urbane sense of the perfectly ridiculous."---Andrew O'Hagan, New York Review of Books"Long before he became the celebrated filmmaker of 'Sunset Boulevard,' 'Some Like It Hot' and 'The Apartment,' a young Billy Wilder worked briefly as a dancer for hire in the ballroom of a fashionable Berlin hotel. As he described the endeavor . . . for a German newspaper in 1927, 'This is no easy way to earn your daily bread, nor is it the kind that sentimental, softhearted types can stomach. But others can live from it.' Wilder’s observations on his experience—from one of his many delightfully acerbic pieces of journalism anthologized in Billy Wilder on Assignment . . . get to the heart of our enduring obsessions with show business and the performing arts."---Dave Itzkoff, New York Times"Sharp and witty. . . . Full of glorious turns of phrase, entertaining narratives, and quirky characters. . . . . Thumbing through Wilder’s essays from the 1920s will make you feel as if you are enjoying yourself at a German coffeehouse, catching up on popular culture, and planning your next weekend adventure in the Weimar Republic. Isenberg and Frisch have done a great service for film historians and fans of classic Hollywood."---Chris Yogerst, Los Angeles Review of Books"An irresistible collection of articles, profiles, and reviews from Wilder’s salad-und-bratwurst days in Berlin, where he worked as a roving journalist, critic, and scene-maker between 1926 and 1930. . . . Isenberg is an expert guide to the Berlin-to-Hollywood axis, and Frisch is a veteran translator."---Thomas Doherty, Tablet Magazine"Billy Wilder on Assignment is, as my colleague, TIME Magazine film critic Stephanie Zacharek kvelled to me in an email, ‘the little book you didn’t know you needed.'"---Jordan Hoffman, Times of Israel"A must-read for film buffs and history aficionados alike."---Tobias Carroll, Inside Hook"This new volume takes in the most significant staging posts of Wilder’s early career."---Gavin Plumley, Literary Review"[Wilder] quickly moved on to Berlin and became a prolific writer of occasional pieces for papers such as Der Querschnitt and the Berliner Börsen Courier. Selections of these articles have been published before but are long out of print, and were never translated into English. Now, thankfully, Professor Isenberg of the University of Texas has put this frustrating situation to rights with a lively anthology, translated by Shelley Frisch into a brisk, punchy English which feels as though it must be an accurate reflection of the young Wilder’s original tone."---Jonathan Coe, Spectator"The opportunity to read Wilder’s journalism in English is welcome. . . . What’s particularly impressive, even slightly eerie, is how many times this young film buff and Americanophile wrote about people he would later work with in Hollywood." * Bookforum *"A delightful and illuminating collection."---Sam Wasson, Air Mail"There is no question that Billy Wilder on Assignment is the most historically important recent book exploring the early days of a major filmmaker. It compiles, for the first time, Wilder’s writings as a young freelance reporter in 1920s Berlin and Vienna. The result is an incredible glimpse of Wilder’s mind at a key age."---Christopher Schobert, The Film Stage"Billy Wilder On Assignment . . . explores the roots of one of Hollywood’s most accomplished and acclaimed directors in the fervid journalistic atmosphere of Central Europe between world wars. . . . Shelley Frisch—one of the nimblest and liveliest translators working today—renders Wilder’s journalism into an English that leaps off the page with deadline urgency. . . . Isenberg's collection offers those interested in the Golden Age of Hollywood valuable new insight into one of its most significant personalities. It is also a vivid account of the vanished world that helped shape Billy Wilder." * Wilson Quarterly *"Let it be said that Billy Wilder on Assignment – Dispatches from Weimar Berlin and Interwar Vienna, is an altogether wonderful read. In fact it reads as if a fine, literary, malt-whiskey."---David Marx, David Marx: Book Reviews"The new anthology Billy Wilder on Assignment proves Wilder's verbal and narrative gifts existed long before he set foot in Hollywood during the 1930s."---Dan Lybarger, Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette"Readers will have fun picking out elements, traits and incidents in these lively witty texts and attempting to match them with Wilder’s later cinematic masterpieces."---Alexander Adams, Alexander Adams Art"Billy Wilder on Assignment . . . provides a long-overdue translation of Billy Wilder’s early writings in German. . . . The anthology will be of interest to both the academic and general public."---Nora Gortcheva, EuropeNow"Very nice."---Tom Stoppard, Times Literary Supplement"In this first English-language compilation of Wilder’s early journalism . . . we can see the mischievous humour and love of snappy dialogue characteristic of his later movies."---Monica Porter, The Jewish Chronicle"Billy Wilder on Assignment: Dispatches from Weimar Berlin and Interwar Vienna is a revealing collection of his lively reportage from those two cities. . . . [The book] create[s] a portrait of a man who is so much more complex than a mere cynic."---Kevin Lally, Cineaste Magazine"“Billy Wilder on Assignment is a beautifully assembled collection of the early writings of a master storyteller whose body of work has entertained moviemakers and movie watchers for generations."---Leonora Cravotta, American Spectator

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"One of the Times Literary Supplement's Books of the Year 2019"

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Book SynopsisThis book is the first detailed study of Woody Allen''s life and work, and an original attempt to locate Allen''s work in the great tradition of American popular culture. It explores that inimitable New York Jewish voice in the themes, dreams, hopes and hidden meanings of Allen''s urban humour, with countless examples of Allen''s own hilarious comic lines.Trade Review'McCann's book is incisive, perceptive and adept at examining the Woody Allen persona.' City Limits 'A praiseworthy shot at paying sustained and serious attention to a mainstream film-maker ... a brave foray into uncharted territory.' The Guardian 'McCann has written a critical biography that's a model of concision and acuity ... a rigorous and rewarding read.' Empire '...[a] wide-ranging, highly intelligent, generally smart critique ... [McCann] excels at improvising creative riffs of prose around a theme.' The Times 'Thorough and readable study' Daily TelegraphTable of ContentsAcknowledgements. Introduction. 1. New Yorker. 2. The Bluebird of Anxiety. 3. Love and Death. 4. Celebrity & Integrity. 5. Stardust Memories. 6. Part of the Experience. Bibliography. Index.

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Book SynopsisFrank Sinatra was only one of a handful of popular entertainers who dominated Western popular culture for six decades.Trade Review'Chris Rojek's study Frank Sinatra is simply brilliant. It is far and away the best study of Sinatra and a U.S. popular singer that I have read. While there are a small row of classics on the great rock singers, pop performers like Sinatra have mainly received celebrity gossip treatment. Rojek's study however, deeply probes Sinatra's celebrity status, including his singing career, his film work, his nightclub and concert tours, his connections with major politicians, and more notoriously, with the Mafia and a series of highly publicized sex scandals.' Doug Kellner, University of California, Los AngelesTable of ContentsPreface. Introduction. 1. Frank's World. 2. Uomo Di Rispetto. 3. Antinomies of Achieved Celebrity. 4. The Rat Pack. 5. Envoi. Notes. References. Index.

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Book SynopsisFrank Sinatra was only one of a handful of popular entertainers who dominated Western popular culture for six decades.Trade Review'Chris Rojek's study Frank Sinatra is simply brilliant. It is far and away the best study of Sinatra and a U.S. popular singer that I have read. While there are a small row of classics on the great rock singers, pop performers like Sinatra have mainly received celebrity gossip treatment. Rojek's study however, deeply probes Sinatra's celebrity status, including his singing career, his film work, his nightclub and concert tours, his connections with major politicians, and more notoriously, with the Mafia and a series of highly publicized sex scandals.' Doug Kellner, University of California, Los AngelesTable of ContentsPreface. Introduction. 1. Frank's World. 2. Uomo Di Rispetto. 3. Antinomies of Achieved Celebrity. 4. The Rat Pack. 5. Envoi. Notes. References. Index.

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Book SynopsisBorn Marshall Mathers III, Eminem overcame a difficult childhood to become the most critically acclaimed white rapper of his time. This biography examines the remarkable life of a controversial yet talented artist who pushed creative envelopes and broke racial boundaries to become one of hip-hop's greatest stars.

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Book Synopsis"No one knows more about Franz Liszt than Alan Walker."—Malcolm Bowie, Times Literary Supplement In a series of lively essays that tell us much not only about the phenomenon that was Franz Liszt but also about the musical and cultural life of...Trade ReviewThe collection of essays is a sort of appendix to Alan Walker's three-volume biography of Liszt. That was not a study of the music, though it commented selectively on the music as part of the composer's life, but it was—is—one of the most readable and engrossing biographies of any subject ever written. -- Adrian Jack * BBC Music Magazine *Walker is unashamedly a Lisztian, of course, but his advocacy is never fanatical. Rather, it is mantled in terse, accomplished prose, supported by faultless research, and buttressed by copious musical examples and musicological argument. In this indispensable book, Walker has strengthened his case for a reevaluation of the composer's accomplishments with care, detail, and—the word is not too strong—virtuosity. -- Conor Farrington * Times Literary Supplement *No one knows more about Franz Liszt than Alan Walker. -- Malcolm Bowie * Times Literary Supplement *Table of ContentsPrologue1. Beethoven's Weihekuss Revisited2. Liszt and the Beethoven Symphonies3. Liszt and the Schubert Song Transcriptions4. Schumann, Liszt, and the C Major Fantasie, op. 17: A Study in Declining Relationships5. Liszt and His Pupils: Three Character SketchesCarl Tausig: A Polish Wunderkind — Hans von Bülow: Heir and Successor — Walter Bache: An English Disciple of Liszt6. Liszt’s Sonata in B Minor7. Liszt and the Lied8. Liszt as Editor9. Liszt’s Technical Studies: Some Thoughts and Afterthoughts10. Liszt the Writer: On Music and MusiciansEpilogue: An Open Letter to Franz LisztSourcesIndex

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Book SynopsisHow do bad girls get away with it? How did Madonna, subject of public outcry for her controversial performances and her book Sex, become a superstar of pop culture and a role model for teenage girls? Why now, as star of Evita and a new mother, is she becoming a mainstream hero?Karlene Faith says that Madonna signifies the times we live in. We are, in a sense, all responsible for who Madonna is. As fans, moral critics, media journalists, or university scholars, we mediate what she means to our society. And Madonna, as a shrewd career woman, has known how to exploit our attentions with her multiple talents. Her representation of sexual practices and values has not taken place in a political or social vacuum. She has counted on our readiness to witness the smashing of cultural taboos. Feminist reactions to Madonna have been divided. In her early career Madonna was a teenage role model, applauded as a liberated sex crusader. Later, she raised eyebrows by portraying cynicTrade Review'This book will be better at getting Much TV students to successfully learn about academic feminism that the usual dead-dry fare. In her discussion of the meaning of Madonna, Faith pulls in all the big guns of feminist theory and aims them at a living post-modern Bitch, rather than the pale and quite ghosts of writers life Woolf and Austen.' -- Caroline Harvey The Vancouver Sun

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Book SynopsisRecognized as a master of Italian cinema, Vittorio De Sica is perhaps best known and most respected for his critically acclaimed neorealist films of the period 1946-55. As this anthology reveals, however, his production was remarkably multifaceted. The essays included here - some newly commissioned, some reprinted, and others in translation - look at De Sica's varied career from many perspecives.Structured chronologically, the volume begins by introducing readers to De Sica's early popularity as an actor and singer during the years of Italian Fascism, and to his initial directorial efforts before the end of World War II. It was not until the postwar era, however, that De Sica made his mark in film history. Special attention is given to this critical phase of his career, which encompasses the neorealist films that made him famous: "Shoeshine", "Bicycle Thieves", "Miracle in Milan", and "Umberto D."When the neorealist movement waned after 1955, De Sica returned to his ro

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Book SynopsisIn The Girl from God's Country, Kay Armatage reintroduces film studies scholars to Nell Shipman, a pioneer in both Canadian and American film, and one of proportionately numerous women from Hollywood's silent era who wrote, directed, produced, and acted in motion pictures. Born and raised in British Columbia, Shipman became a contract actress for Vitagraph Studios, starring in God's Country and the Woman (1915) and Back to God's Country (1919), among other films. These action-packed adventure melodramas, in which the heroine is called upon to rescue her husband and defeat the villain, were immensely successful. Later, Shipman started up her own production company to make films centred on her screen persona, 'the girl from God’s country.' By the mid 1920s, however, the formation of the large Hollywood studios and vertical integration closed down the independents, Shipman among them. Nevertheless, she continued writing until her death in 1970.Through

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Book SynopsisIncorporating history, politics, and film theory into a compelling narrative, this title explores the life and work of a multifaceted woman whose career was flourishing long before Native films such as Smoke Signals reached the screen.Trade Review“Most Americans probably do not know that Canada has an oft-distinguished film industry. . . . Here Lewis goes some way toward redressing this oversight by discussing the career of a documentary filmmaker who is a double rarity: a member of a First Nations tribe (one of the Canadian indigenous peoples) and a woman. . . . Lewis relates the story of this remarkable woman in conventional chronological order, with ample biographical data and a detailed analysis of her oeuvre and its impact on Canadian society. . . . [T]his is a welcome addition to a long-neglected part of cinema literature.” —Library Journal“Lewis’s writing is at all times clear, efficient, and accessible, and his nuanced understanding of Obomsawin’s work is evident throughout. In addition to a masterful and informative narrative, Lewis provides useful filmographies of Obomsawin’s work and of other noteworthy Native American documentaries.”—T. Maxwell-Long, ChoiceTable of Contents1. Abenaki Beginnings; 2. Early Films; 3. A Gendered Gaze?; 4. Documentary on the Middle Ground; 5. Why Documentary?; 6. Cinema of Sovereignty; Conclusion

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Book SynopsisJohn Wayne remains a constant in American popular culture. Middle America grew up with him in late 1920s and 1930s, went to war with him in 1940s, matured with him in 1950s, and kept the faith with him in the 1960s and 1970s... This is a biography that reveals the changing scene in Hollywood and America from Great Depression through Vietnam War.Trade Review"All students of Hollywood will find [this biography of John Wayne] fascinating and rewarding."—London Times Literary Supplement"Writing in a plain-spoken style that avoids both fanzine and academic cant, the authors nicely retell the story of Wayne’s relationship with John Ford, the director most responsible for setting him apart from the gunslinging crowd."—New York Times Book Review"Recommended for all film collections."—Library Journal

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Book SynopsisThis is a pioneering attempt to rearticulate the relationship between music and the problem of mimesis, of presentation and re-presentation. Four "scenes" compose this book, all four of them responses to Wagner: two by French poets (Baudelaire and Mallarmé), two by German philosophers (Heidegger and Adorno).Trade Review"This is a remarkable book. Not since Theodor Adorno has a theoretical work approached music in as broad, incisive and provocative a way as does Lacoue-Labarthe's Musica Ficta. The book opens up an entirely new perspective for reinterpreting the relations between music, theater, literature, and the philosophical-aesthetical tradition that has largely governed our understanding of those media. For the first time, to my knowledge, recent analyses of representation are brought to bear on the function of music, revealing its particular affinities to theatricality. Musica Ficta breaks new ground." -- Samuel Weber * University of California, Los Angeles *"A remarkable book. Not since Theodor Adorno has a theoretical work approached music in as broad, incisive, and provocative a way. The book opens up an entirely new perspective for reinterpreting the relations between music, theater, literature, and the philosophical-aesthet ic tradition that has largely governed our understanding of those media." -- Samuel Weber * University of California, Los Angeles *"Lacoue-Labarthe's work is a thought-provoking book: the reader embarks on an intellectual journey that draws connections between music, theater, aesthetics, philosophy, and history from ancient Greece to the present. . . . Lacoue-Labarthe offers a point of departure for a new aesthetic of art, one appropriate to the philosophical problems of the 20th Century." -- Wagner NotesTable of ContentsContents 1 2 3 4

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Book SynopsisThis is a pioneering attempt to rearticulate the relationship between music and the problem of mimesis, of presentation and re-presentation. Four "scenes" compose this book, all four of them responses to Wagner: two by French poets (Baudelaire and Mallarmé), two by German philosophers (Heidegger and Adorno).Trade Review"This is a remarkable book. Not since Theodor Adorno has a theoretical work approached music in as broad, incisive and provocative a way as does Lacoue-Labarthe's Musica Ficta. The book opens up an entirely new perspective for reinterpreting the relations between music, theater, literature, and the philosophical-aesthetical tradition that has largely governed our understanding of those media. For the first time, to my knowledge, recent analyses of representation are brought to bear on the function of music, revealing its particular affinities to theatricality. Musica Ficta breaks new ground." -- Samuel Weber * University of California, Los Angeles *"A remarkable book. Not since Theodor Adorno has a theoretical work approached music in as broad, incisive, and provocative a way. The book opens up an entirely new perspective for reinterpreting the relations between music, theater, literature, and the philosophical-aesthet ic tradition that has largely governed our understanding of those media." -- Samuel Weber * University of California, Los Angeles *"Lacoue-Labarthe's work is a thought-provoking book: the reader embarks on an intellectual journey that draws connections between music, theater, aesthetics, philosophy, and history from ancient Greece to the present. . . . Lacoue-Labarthe offers a point of departure for a new aesthetic of art, one appropriate to the philosophical problems of the 20th Century." -- Wagner NotesTable of ContentsContents 1 2 3 4

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Book SynopsisFeatures the American humourist Will Rogers' writings and observations on society during World War I and the Roaring Twenties. Included in this collection are two of Rogers' most popular books, "The Cowboy Philosopher on the Peace Conference" and "The Cowboy Philosopher on Prohibition".

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Auerbach writes beautifully. . . . In this biography of Ellen Terry, she evokes the story of every woman's life, in all its accepted roles. . . . England's most famous actress is here re-created, herself creating the life of woman. A glorious book." * Carolyn G. Heilbrun *"One of the finest examples I know of theatre biography as cultural history. . . . Auerbach's force of feeling . . . [makes us] understand Terry's career as the bowdlerized body of woman's expressive genius in the Victorian age. . . . A life-and-times classic that will become a model for other feminist work." * Jane Marcus, Women's Review of Books *

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Book SynopsisFanny Kemble played a highly significant cultural role on both sides of the Atlantic. As David so convincingly shows, the life of this actress-turned-writer-turned-polemicist not only offers a fascinating subject in its own right but also intersects with a host of nineteenth-century figures who still interest us today.-U. C. KnoepflmacherTrade Review"Acclaimed, reviled, acclaimed again, Fanny Kemble played a highly significant cultural role on both sides of the Atlantic. As Deirdre David convincingly shows, the life of this actress-turned-writer-turned-polemicist not only offers a fascinating subject in its own right but also intersects with so many of the nineteenth-century figures who still interest us today: the Shelleys, the Brownings, Carlyle, Dickens, Thackeray, George Eliot, Liszt, Longfellow, Hawthorne, Henry James, and many, many more. David's absolute familiarity with all of them is impressive and reassuring, but it is of course Kemble herself who matters here most, and David's enormous empathy with this mercurial woman is wonderfully infectious." * U. C. Knoepflmacher, Princeton University *"Fascination with Kemble . . . does not abate. This scholarly, erudite, and thorough study by David . . . far exceeds all others in its balance and in its careful analysis of this complex and variegated life. . . . A great addition to the literature on important women, the theater, and numerous aspects of the nineteenth century. . . . Highly recommended." * Choice *"Deirdre David's book, meticulously researched and vividly readable, while consistently sympathetic to her subject, is always thoughtful, considered, nuanced, and illuminating. It evokes with equal success the theatrical world of nineteenth-century England and the plantation world of the antebellum South." * Journal of Victorian Culture *"This very lively and engaging volume is a wonderful introduction into the world of one of the nineteenth century's most celebrated theatrical performers. . . . Distinctive and welcome . . . evocative and perceptive." * Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography *

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Book SynopsisTrade Review "Fans will appreciate Metsa's stories about the writing and reception of many of his songs."—Publishers Weekly "More than simply a title of regional interest to Midwesterners, this musical journey will resonate with readers who prefer their tell-alls spiced with a generous helping of conviction and a dash of humility."—Kirkus Reviews "Blue Guitar Highway is a convincing testament to the strength that a performer can draw on by remaining in touch with his or her roots, while remaining open to the trials and rewards along the road of an America steeped in song."—Discorder Magazine "You’ve got to admire Paul Metsa. He chased his dreams and became an accomplished Minneapolis-based guitarist and songwriter. Although he’s often lived gig to gig, you sense from this memoir that he’s loved the ride."—Lake Superior Magazine "Blue Guitar Highway has so many compelling stories that you can’t put it down."—Star Tribune "Metsa’s style is readable, sometimes funny, sometimes lyrical, and full of passion."—Northeaster and North News "Blue Guitar Highway is . . . Paul Metsa’s equivalent of Bob Dylan’s Chronicles, Vol. 1."—Hometown Focus "Metsa uses his talents as a songwriter and lyricist to full advantage. His prose sets us to laughing, crying, and remembering often within the same sentence. . . . This memoir belongs on any music fan’s bookshelf."—Mark Munger, Cloquet River Press "Reading the words of Paul Metsa as recorded in his memoir, Blue Guitar Highway, is a walk through the several decades of the local music scene with all of his and its connections with the ages and stages of American music writ large."—Twin Cities Daily Planet "While the 271-page work is full of telling, humorous anecdotes from Metsa’s life—including the time he slipped Grateful Dead front man Jerry Garcia some leftover, psychedelic mushrooms—the story’s primary message is one of perseverance and passion."—The Downtown Journal "Blue Guitar Highway conveys all the sweet absurdity, dry humor, and passion for the language of music that has made Metsa’s story sing."—Grand Rapids Herald-Review "For music-lovers who admire the 80s and 90s in the Twin Cities rock-and-roll scene, Metsa’s journey is worth delving into."—Woodbury-South Maplewood Review "Blue Guitar Highway, by Paul Metsa will certainly please music buffs who remember Metsaʼs days in the joints on Minneapolisʼs West Bank."—River Falls Journal "Packed with colorful details about music venues in Minneapolis and on the Range and with references to things uniquely Minnesotan, Blue Guitar Highway offers lots of local appeal. On a broader plane, Metsaʼs book is an anthem to professional musicians who live to play. His heartfelt tributes to those who influenced him in his musical pursuits are numerous. So belly up to the bar now and then, and get to know this gregarious Minnesotan, a born storyteller."—Duluth News Tribune "Metsa writes so well that he can even make a hangover seem beautiful. Compelling, gripping and laugh out loud funny even as he describes some far from funny happenstance, Metsa takes us on his lifelong ride, from the death of his mother on an operating table, to his bust for cocaine possession, through a personal quest to save a beloved local theatre, all told within the roller coaster ride of a musician from whom “quit” is definitely not an option. He is Minnesota’s other Dylan."—Sound Waves Magazine "The anecdotes are entertaining, the self-deprecating humor is often captivating, and the music trivia is mostly entertaining to those of us who know little about the music and the culture of Minnesota in the middle of the last century."—No Depression "Metsa is the other great folksinger from Minnesota's Mesabi Iron Range."—Huffington Post "Metsa is a mountain in Minnesota music."—Bobby VeeTable of ContentsContentsForeword by David CarrGuitar FoolsA Boy and His GuitarBuckshot in Short PantsThe Cry of the MuskratCats Under the StarsVaseline Machine GunOne More Saturday NightFranklin AvenueElectric High HeelsParty to a CrimeRobots on Death RowHouse of CardsWhistling Past the GraveyardFerris Wheels on the FarmCity of the AngelsMississippi FarewellNo Money DownSwing Low, Sweet ChariotGhosts of Woody GuthrieMartini GulchWhite Boys Lost in the BluesFrom Russia with LoveKey to the HighwaySisuTexas in the Twilight ZoneSlings and ArrowsBarbeque and BluesIko-IkoSlow JusticeStars Over the PrairieFireworks on the 4th of JulyAcknowledgmentsDiscographyConcert Appearances

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Book SynopsisTrade Review "Those who think Hollywood’s current predatory political scene and celebrity partner-swapping activities are new phenomena would be wise to dive into this tell-all tale of Henry Willson, an agent who became a major star maker to actors like Rock Hudson, Tab Hunter, and Troy Donahue in the 1950s."—Publishers Weekly"A trove of enticing gossip and little-known facts . . . Hofler chronicles Willson’s life of privilege. He roams through the origins of his paradoxical right-wing attitudes, early intrigues to obtain sexual power, conspiracies hatched in glamorous fabled nightclubs, the Trocadero, the Macombo. He describes nasty sexual antics among powerful studio heads."—Los Angeles Times "The Man Who Invented Rock Hudson is a gritty, often coarse but well-researched biography of a tough Hollywood power broker famous for his ‘Adonis factory.’"—Salon.com "Hofler, a Variety editor and reporter, is well matched to this shark-tank of a life." —Washington Post

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Book SynopsisBrings to life Gertrude Stein's surrealist sensibilities and personal values borne from her WWII anxieties, not least of which originated in a dread of anti-Semitism. Ery Shin argues that Stein's later works engage with storytelling and life-writing in startling ways - most emphatically and poignantly through the surrealist lens.Trade ReviewGertrude Stein's Surrealist Years is a serious and original contribution to Stein studies. The breadth of historical and literary contexts is impressive as well as Shin's exquisite close readings of a wide range of Stein’s primary texts." - Sharon J. Kirsch, author of Gertrude Stein and the Reinvention of Rhetoric and coeditor of Primary Stein: Returning to the Writing of Gertrude Stein"In this original, provocative, and necessary study, Ery Shin brings new insight and perspective to a growing body of important scholarship, arguing for the implicitly progressive politics of Stein's sui generis aesthetics. Crucially, Shin's book also stands as a firm and powerful response to the spurious yet nevertheless persistent claims surrounding Stein's alleged fascist leanings, for in lucid and convincing prose she shows how Stein's artistic vision aligns with the dream state that her contemporaries among the Surrealists practiced and advocated as an antiauthoritarian consciousness. This book opens an entirely new conversation and will surely inspire new debate." - Amy Moorman Robbins, author of American Hybrid Poetics: Gender, Mass Culture, and FormTable of Contents Acknowledgments 1. Contexts 2. Ruskin’s Ghost 3. On Style 4. The Drowned 5. The Pleasures of Solipsism 6. Beginnings, Middles, and Ends Afterword Notes Works Cited Index

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Book SynopsisExamines how surrealism enriches our understanding of Gertrude Stein's writing through its poetics of oppositions. Gertrude Stein's Surrealist Years brings to life Stein's surrealist sensibilities and personal values borne from her WWII anxieties, not least of which originated in a dread of anti-Semitism.Trade ReviewGertrude Stein (1874-1946) is not known as a surrealist, but she was closely involved with people associated with the movement, among them Picasso and AndrÉ Breton. Shin examines Stein’s involvement with these artists and writers and shows how these relationships drew her and her writing into the movement, especially in her novels Ida and Mrs. Reynolds. Written in clear and accessible prose, this volume examines Stein's writing during a time of her life marked by complexity and ambivalence. Recommended" - CHOICE"Gertrude Stein’s Surrealist Years is a serious and original contribution to Stein studies. The breadth of historical and literary contexts is impressive as well as Shin’s exquisite close readings of a wide range of Stein’s primary texts." - Sharon J. Kirsch, author of Gertrude Stein and the Reinvention of Rhetoric and coeditor of Primary Stein: Returning to the Writing of Gertrude Stein"In this original, provocative, and necessary study, Ery Shin brings new insight and perspective to a growing body of important scholarship, arguing for the implicitly progressive politics of Stein’s sui generis aesthetics. Crucially, Shin’s book also stands as a firm and powerful response to the spurious yet nevertheless persistent claims surrounding Stein’s alleged fascist leanings, for in lucid and convincing prose she shows how Stein’s artistic vision aligns with the dream state that her contemporaries among the Surrealists practiced and advocated as an antiauthoritarian consciousness. This book opens an entirely new conversation and will surely inspire new debate." - Amy Moorman Robbins, author of American Hybrid Poetics: Gender, Mass Culture, and Form

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Book SynopsisIn Lion Songs Banning Eyre tells the story of Zimbabwean singer, composer and bandleader Thomas Mapfumo who, like Fela Kuti and Bob Marley, represents his country's anti-colonial struggle and cultural identity. Eyre narrates Mapfumo's life in the context of Zimbabwe's pre- and post-revolutionary history.Trade Review“A deep, detailed biography of a complex African musician and the homeland that has shaped his artistry. . . . An essential book for those who love the artist's music and want to know more. . . .” * Kirkus Reviews *“What emerges from Eyre’s account is a multi-faceted look at one musician’s life, and the effects that it had on both the people around him and the society of which he was a part. . . . There’s an evenness of tone here, and it helps bring together the many aspects of Mapfumo’s life into one cohesive narrative. And, as an added bonus, it may well introduce readers to music that remains vital decades after it was first recorded.” -- Tobias Carroll * Biographile *“[Eyre] has meticulously researched Mapfumo’s story and the musicians who have played with him in Blacks Unlimited, and he tells their tale with impressive attention to detail. … All this makes Lion Songs an essential resource for anyone interested in Mapfumo and Zimbabwean music.” -- Nigel Williamson * Songlines *“[A] a singularly insightful biography. . . .” -- Andrew Gilbert * Berkeleyside *“For fans of African music, the album is a must-have. For those interested in the role of art in self-determination and the intricate and convoluted history of oppression and colonialism and the fraught aftermath of self-rule, the book is a must-read.” -- Jay Mazza * The Vinyl District *"The novelistic text has an appropriately hefty level of historical context, and the attention to detail means that Eyre never gives the tale less than it deserves, ultimately enlightening the reader about the evolution of an entire nation, as well as its most famous musical son. The gripping read is thus highly recommended." -- David Katz * Mojo *"An essential book for those who love the artiste's music and want to know more. . . ." -- Fred Zindi * The Herald (Zimbabwe) *"[B]ecause Thomas Mapfumo is such an important subject, and because Eyre has spent decades around him, the legacy outweighs the failures. Mapfumo has created a huge body of meaningful work and Eyre has stuck it out—an independent scholar on a university press non-advance—to get his story. Graceful sentences, acute observation, heroic amounts of research, self-consciousness about subject position and other contextual issues, a working musician’s aesthetic appreciation—it’s all here, and nobody else could have done it." -- Eric Weisbard * Journal of Popular Music Studies *"Eyre affirms Mapfumo’s enduring stature in the canon of Zimbabwean music. Lion Songs is a fascinating biography not just for its close­up portrayal of Mapfumo, but also its masterly commentary on Zimbabwe’s underrated music industry." -- Stanley Mushava * The Herald (Zimbabwe) *"[A]n intensely detailed and lucid work. ...Eyre is a musicologist, so when he explains the musical alchemy that went into creating Mapfumo's mbira-inspired chimurenga (revolutionary struggle) music, his descriptions are illuminating and technical. ... He also understands that the significance of his subject - a fixture in Zimbabwe's music and sociopolitical fabric for at least five decades - transcends the music he made." -- Kwanele Sosibo * Namibian *"Lion Songs is a richly evocative story of a life impassioned wherein author Banning Eyre ties the arc of Mapfumo’s career to Zimbabwe’s contemporary history. . . . A great fly-on-the-wall account of a life political, a life musical, and a life of love sans love-songs." -- Felicity Clark * Perfect Beat *Table of ContentsPreamble: Chimurenga Nights 1 I. Rhodesia 1. England Is the Chameleon , and I the Fly 13 2. Singing Shona 28 3. When the Spirit Comes 50 4. Songs for the Book of History 67 5. Bishop and Pawn 89 6. Agony of Victory 110 II. Zimbabwe 7. Snakes in the Forest 125 8. Corruption 144 9. Big Daddy and the Zimbabwe Playboys 161 10. Sporting Lions 179 11. Too Many Ghosts 200 12. Breaking the Cycle 211 III. America 13. Striking at Empires 231 14. Dancing with Devils 248 15. The Land of the Horses 264 16. Lions in Winter 281 Acknowledgments 295 Notes 297 Selected Discography 337 Bibliography 341 Index of Songs and Albums 345 General Index 349

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Book SynopsisThis book investigates the religious identity and authority of Stephen Colbert and his character Stephen Colbert. By exploring Colbert’s position as a lay catechist and televised comedian, this book examines how Catholicism shapes Colbert’s experiences, and how Colbert and his persona nuance American Catholicism and the polarized American religious landscape.Table of Contents1. Colbert as Character | 1 2. Colbert as Catholic Authority | 23 3. Colbert as Catechist | 48 4. Colbert as Catholic Comedian | 76 5. Colbert Catholicism | 99 6. Colbert as Culture Warrior | 132 7. Colbert’s Continued Presence | 152 Appendix | 165 Acknowledgments | 173 Notes | 175 Selected Bibliography | 205 Index | 219

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Book SynopsisTable of ContentsIntroduction | 1 Part I: Origins 1. Dreams of a Writer | 11 2. Getting Started (1952 to Summer 1953) | 23 3. Two Programs, Two Movies (1952 to 1954) | 34 4. Original Dramas for Studio One (Summer 1953 to Spring 1954) | 46 Part II: The Television Program 5. A Visit to Foley Square (Spring 1954) | 57 6. “Twelve Angry Men” (Summer 1954) | 71 7. Gaining Momentum (Fall 1954 to Spring 1955) | 81 Part III: The Movie 8. Henry Fonda and the Deal for 12 Angry Men (Spring and Summer 1955) | 95 9. Developing the Screenplay (Fall 1955 to Spring 1956) | 103 10. Assembling the Team (Spring 1956) | 113 11. Six Weeks of Work (Summer 1956) | 122 12. Release and Reviews (Fall 1956 to Spring 1958) | 133 Part IV: The Defenders 13. New Directions (1957 to 1960) | 145 14. The Defenders (1960 to Spring 1962) | 155 15. The Defenders (Fall 1962 to 1965) | 166 16. After The Defenders | 179 Part V: The Journey of 12 Angry Men 17. A Life on Stage | 193 18. A Lesson in the Law | 208 19. A Masterclass in Human Behavior | 220 20. New Versions, New Meanings | 230 Epilogue | 239 Appendix: “Twelve Angry Men” (TV Featurette) | 245 Acknowledgments | 251 Notes | 257 Selected Bibliography | 291 Index | 297 Photographs follow pages 102 and 198

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Book SynopsisBorn in Tehran in 1957, filmmaker Mohsen Ostad Ali Makhmalbaf grew up in the religious and politically charged atmosphere of the 1960s, and the June 1963 uprising of Ayatollah Khomeini constitutes one of his earliest memories. In 1972, Makhmalbaf formed his own urban guerrilla group and two years later attacked a police officer, for which he was arrested and jailed. He remained incarcerated until 1978, when the revolutionary wave led by Ayatollah Khomeini freed him and launched his career as a writer and self-taught filmmaker. Since then, Makhmalbaf has gone on to make such highly admired films as Gabbeh and The Silence. The three lengthy conversations collected here, between Makhmalbaf and leading Iranian film critic and scholar Hamid Dabashi, traverse the filmmaker's experiences as a young radical, his critical stance regarding the current Islamic regime, and his fascination with filmsboth as product and as process. In this in-depth view of one of the most significant Middle Easter

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisThis first volume of a projected two volume study of the music of John Jenkins concentrates exclusively on his consorts for viols.John Jenkins (1592-1678) was both the most prolific and most esteemed of English composers between the death of Byrd and the rise of Purcell. During his long life he was employed as a resident musician in East Anglian noble households and became a court musician to Charles II in his later years.This is the first in a two-volume study of Jenkins and his music. It presents a biographical introduction to the composer then concerns itself exclusively with the superb consorts for viols which dominate the early part of the composer's career. It is profusely illustrated with music examples and discusses virtually every work in this form. ANDREW ASHBEE is an internationally renowned expert on C17th English instrumental music, has edited a number of volumes of music from the period, and is an author, broadcaster and lecturer.Trade ReviewAshbee's...scholarship is exemplary and his book is easy to read...an extremely important contribution to our knowledge of English music of the seventeenth century, and will no doubt be the standard work on Jenkins for some time to come. * LUTE SOCIETY JOURNAL *One could not have a more sure-footed guide. * JOURNAL OF THE VIOLA DA GAMBA SOCIETY *

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Book SynopsisLegendary CBS Evening News anchorman Walter Cronkite looks back over a career in which he covered many of the major events of the twentieth century.Trade Review"We all owe Don Carleton a huge debt of gratitude for publishing this landmark oral history of Walter Cronkite. Here, for the first time, is the beloved CBS News anchorman unplugged, commenting on everything from D-Day to the Vietnam War to the moon landing." Douglas Brinkley, Professor of History, Rice University, and author of The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America

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Book SynopsisMurray Schafer is one of Canada’s few composers to have achieved an international reputation. His innovative and often controversial work extends beyond music into the areas of education, literary scholarship, journalism, theatre, and graphics, as well as a new field of his own making—environmental sound research. This comprehensive critical survey of his life and works reveals the unifying pattern within an amazingly productive and varied career.Adams examines Schafer’s extensive writings, which form the intellectual context of his music. Though Schafer is both avant-gardist and self-confessed romantic, his writings solve this apparent paradox and show, as well, the central position of the ‘soundscape’ in his thought. Adam traces the development of Schafer’s music from his early works in a mild neo-classical vein to his experimentation with various modernist procedures—serialism, electronic sound, stereophony, graphic notation

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Book SynopsisThe first biography of activist and musician Zilphia Horton, a woman who inspired thousands of working people and left a legacy that changed the world.Trade Review[A] vibrant new biography...A Singing Army vividly recreates the social and cultural history into which Zilphia Horton lived, and it brings to light her enduring achievements, her passionate vision for the arts and music and the ways they shape the human heart and effect social change, and her exceptional contribution to folk music and folk music scholarship. * No Depression *Beautifully written and endlessly fascinating, [A Singing Army is] one of the best biographies of the year. * NPR, "2021 Books We Love" *Throughout A Singing Army, Ruehl reasserts Horton’s belief that “'the arts are not dressing,' but rather an important aspect of political organization that allows people from different backgrounds to understand one another’s struggles and find common ground. Ruehl’s invocation of Horton’s beliefs plays like the catchy refrain to one of Horton’s labor songs, emphasizing the importance of her ideals and showing readers another way to organize and connect with others...Through her subject’s incredible life and through her straightforward, observational style, Ruehl illuminates a story bound to inspire 21st-century artists and activists. * Nashville Scene *In the first book devoted to [Zilphia] Horton, A Singing Army vividly recreates the social and cultural history of which Horton was part, and it brings to light her enduring achievements, her passionate vision for the arts and music and how they effect social change, and her exceptional contribution to folk music and folk music scholarship. * No Depression, "Best Music Books of 2021" *An engaging and thought-provoking story of Zilphia Horton’s interesting life...The text presents a fascinating, detailed look at the complexities of Zilphia’s personal challenges, and a fresh look at Highlander’s history and activities...the high quality of the writing makes the book enjoyable and difficult to put down. * CHOICE *A Singing Army is thoroughly documented, drawing on archival research, letters, and interviews with Thorsten and Charis, Zilphia’s sister, and others. As portrayed by Ruehl, Zilphia is independent, resourceful, resilient, and original, and Myles clearly shares her collaborative spirit. Although 'social justice' and 'the South' are still often seen as oxymoronic, Ruehl illuminates a time and place when people were trying to make them synonyms. * Chapter 16 *This impactful book delivers Horton's story with care and compassion...We need people to tell such stories. People need to read such stories. Our world is better [when] we have access to such history. We can create an even better world when [we] give more attention than ever to the people who bring these stories to us. My hope is that people take the time to read this fantastic book about Zilphia Horton and follow her example. * Bearded Gentlemen Music *Kim Ruehl has done the history of American social justice movements a great service in this first biography of Zilphia Horton...Ruehl’s thorough and thoughtful book testifies to her lasting influence. * WNC Magazine *A Singing Army is a revelatory look into how Zilphia [Horton] contributed to providing a safe and nurturing environment for social change makers at the Highlander Folk School and how this was an integral part of enabling social change. * Southern Review of Books *Table of Contents Introduction 1. A Long Line of Strong Women 2. Growth and Exploration 3. A Rift 4. Everything New 5. New in Town 6. Class and Privilege 7. New York City 8. Digging Roots 9. Conflict and War 10. No More Mourning 11. We Will Overcome 12. Getting Out of Town 13. Changing Direction 14. Trauma 15. Lunging Toward Civil Rights 16. Chicago 17. Contempt and Johns Island 18. Sustainability 19. Rosa Parks and the End of the Line 20. A Sudden, Shocking Accident Epilogue Acknowledgments Notes Books Cited Index

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Book Synopsis'When the name "Hitler" is mentioned, nothing occurs to me' – so said Karl Kraus. For this leading Viennese Jewish critic and intellectual the touchstone of art was ethics. How could he be speechless in the face of a threat to all that ethics means?To answer this question, the author makes a detailed chronological study of Kraus's intellectual activity as reflected in his work on the theatre. The results are presented in five chapters, each dealing with a different 'mask' adopted by Kraus during the period 1892-1936. Grimstad considers not only theatre and drama criticism in Die Fackel and Kraus's dramatic writings, but also biographical data, to help uncover the rationale of his work. That rationale is the logic of the theatrical mode in which he lived and wrote. The stage was not only his subject matter, it determined what he would see and say. Grimstad argues that when Kraus wrote, his words were the speech of an 'actor' who was often infatuated with himself

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Book SynopsisThe epic biography Starring Red Wing! brings the exciting career, dedicated activism, and noteworthy legacy of Ho-Chunk actress Lilian Margaret St. Cyr vividly to life. Known to film audiences as “Princess Red Wing,” St. Cyr emerged as the most popular Native American actress in the pre-Hollywood and early studio-system era in the United States. Today St. Cyr is known for her portrayal of Naturich in Cecile B. DeMille’s The Squaw Man (1914); although DeMille claimed to have “discovered the little Indian girl,” the viewing public had already long adored her as a petite, daredevil Indian heroine. She befriended and worked with icons such as Mary Pickford, Jewell Carmen, Tom Mix, Max Sennett, and William Selig. Born on the Winnebago Reservation in 1884 and orphaned in 1888, she spent ten years in Indian boarding schools before graduating from the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in 1902. She married James Young Johnson, and in Trade Review"This lively biography pays long overdue tribute to a forgotten star of the silent era while celebrating Native American contributions to the motion picture industry."—Kirkus Reviews"Although Waggoner herself suggests Starring Red Wing! is not an academic text, scholars of Native studies, film studies, women's studies, and beyond will find St. Cyr's biography and filmography . . . a valuable contribution to scholarship in their fields."—Amy S. Fatzinger, Native American and Indigenous Studies"Relying on careful and copious research, Waggoner skillfully weaves St. Cyr's story with that of early American film and Native American history. . . . Too few people know St. Cyr's name—Waggoner rectifies that wrong, training a spotlight on an icon of early film who broke through barriers."—Carolyn M. Mulac, Library Journal"Building on her expertise in Ho-Chunk history, Waggoner paints an intimate portrait that also successfully illuminates the worlds Red Wing (1884–1974) inhabited as a pathbreaking Indian celebrity."—Andrew H. Fisher, New Mexico Historical Review"Linda Waggoner's biography takes us on a journey through the life of Lilian St. Cyr and shows the reader how this innovative woman reinvented herself repeatedly, during an era when not even white women exercised complete agency over their lives. In becoming Red Wing, she managed to free herself of her "Indian place" and her feminine limitations. She traveled, performed, produced, and made a name for herself, both with and without a husband. She was the remarkable heroine of her own life."—Noemi Hernandez Alexander, California History"Linda Waggoner provides us with another splendid biography of a Ho-Chunk woman."—Liza Black, Western Historical Quarterly"For a vivid portray of early filmmaking history and a groundbreaking Native Nebraska-born actress’s role in it, this is a worthwhile read."—Andrea I. Faling, Nebraska History“This life of the groundbreaking Winnebago actress, the first Native American film star, joins staggering research with a story full of ambition, courage, and true grit. Linda Waggoner’s smartly written book recounts the early history of racial representation on the silver screen before Hollywood became a household word. Her story of a talented Native actor, along with a vivid portrayal of the silent film era, make this a probing, satisfying, and utterly unique read.”—Philip Burnham, author of Song of Dewey Beard: Last Survivor of the Little Bighorn “In this profoundly thoughtful biography, Linda Waggoner reveals how Lilian St. Cyr’s astonishing life as a performer and activist helped to shape Native identities in modern America. Waggoner’s deeply researched and carefully written account reminds us that if St. Cyr was best known as an early Native film star, she was also fiercely devoted to Indigenous causes and spent decades defending and promoting Native interests. This nuanced book recalls the enormous importance of one of the twentieth century’s most important Native women.”—Clyde Ellis, professor of history at Elon University and author of A Dancing People: Powwow Culture on the Southern PlainsTable of ContentsList of Illustrations Preface Acknowledgments Introduction Chapter 1: Lilian Margaret St. Cyr of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska Chapter 2: Ochsegahonegah at the Lincoln Institute Chapter 3: Role Models and Visitors Chapter 4: Home and Away Again Chapter 5: James Young Johnson and Family Secrets Chapter 6: Princess Red Wing and Young Deer Chapter 7: Edendale, California Chapter 8: New Careers with Pathé Frères Chapter 9: Leaving Young Deer Chapter 10: Keeping Up with the Competition Chapter 11: The Calm before the Storm Chapter 12: Young Deer and the White Slavery Ring Chapter 13: Cecil B. DeMille and The Squaw Man Chapter 14: In the Days of the Thundering Herd Chapter 15: Ramona and Home Again Chapter 16: Lilia Red Wing on Tour and the Visual Education Movement Chapter 17: The Metropolitan Group of American Indians Chapter 18: Fare Thee Well and Hollywood Reunion Chapter 19: The Moon Shines on Pretty Red Wing Appendix A: Lilian Margaret St. Cyr Family Appendix B: James Young Johnson Family Appendix C: Red Wing’s Filmography, 1908–1931 Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisBest known for her Oscar-nominated roles in the smash hitsPaper MoonandBlazing Saddles, Madeline Kahn (1942-1999) was one of the most popular comedians of her time - and one of the least understood. William V. Madison examines Kahn's film career, including not only her triumphs with Mel Brooks and Peter Bogdanovich, but also her overlooked performances.Trade ReviewWhen I started out in New York, in the late 60's, one of my earliest friends and fellow performers at Upstairs at the Downstairs was the inimitable Madeline Kahn. As young and struggling artists, we bonded as great friends, and remained friends for thirty years. Even back then, I knew her talent would take her far. She was so gifted in so many ways, it's difficult to summarize her genius. I'm delighted that William V. Madison's book has perfectly captured her irreverent humor as well as all the challenges she faced as a single working woman. Madeline continues to influence younger artists today, and her performances are a treasure for all of us."" - Lily Tomlin, ""Below the Belt"" revue, Upstairs at the Downstairs.""Bids to become the surprise biography of the year. A great untold story intriguingly revealed. Superbly researched, digs deep into the life and times of its subject and captures her essence."" - Dan Rather.""For everyone who found her an enigmatic delight on stages and screens, the book is a resonant must-read, evoking its subject and the golden age of theater and film in which she lived."" - Tom Shales, Pulitzer Prize-winning television critic.""Madeline Kahn is the best comic or dramatic actress, the best singer - serious or comic - and the best I've worked with, or known in my life."" - Gene Wilder.""Madeline was bright, committed, thoughtful, and one of the most remarkable actresses I have ever worked with. William V. Madison's biography captures Madeline's complexity and finely documents her career and personal life."" - Jane Alexander, actress, author, former chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, and wildlife conservationist.

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Book SynopsisWinnie Lightner (1899-1971) stood out as the first great female comedian of the talkies. David L. Lightner shows how Winnie Lightner's hilarious performance in the 1929 musical comedy Gold Diggers of Broadway made her an overnight sensation. At long last, this biography gives Winnie Lightner the recognition she deserves as a notable figure in film history.

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Book SynopsisSpanning twenty-five years, these conversations reveal Steven Soderbergh to be as self-effacing and lighthearted in his later more established years as he was when just beginning to make movies. He comes across as a man undaunted by the glitz and power of Hollywood, remaining, above all, a truly independent filmmaker.

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