Description
Book SynopsisThis final volume of Bernth Lindfors's definitive biography records the remarkable achievements and experiences of Ira Aldridge in the last years of his life, when he performed at theaters throughout Europe. Ira Aldridge The Last Years, 1855-1867, the fourth volume of Bernth Lindfors's definitive biography, places on record Aldridge's remarkable achievements and experiences in the final phase of his life, when he performed at theaters throughout Europe. His first Continental tour in 1852-1855 had been a spectacular success, and though he returned to Britain periodically afterwards, he spent much of the remainder of his career entertaining audiences in central and eastern Europe, mainly in Ukraine and Russia. His Shakespearean performances in St. Petersburg in 1858 and Moscow in 1862 were among his greatest triumphs and led to numerous appearances elsewhere in provincial cities and towns. During his forty-three years on stage in Europe, Ira Aldridge traveled more widely and won more honors, decorations, and awards than any other actor of his day. He is remembered not only as a talented thespian but also as a very visible representative of his race, someone who changed European perceptions of black people through the sheer brilliance of his artistry on stage. And by doing so, he helped to humanize the image of Africans andtheir descendants in Europe at an important transitional moment in history, when the movement to abolish slavery was gathering force and winning international acceptance. Bernth Lindfors is Professor Emeritus of English and African literatures at the University of Texas at Austin.
Trade ReviewThrough his thorough mining of a vast array of European archives, Lindfors surpasses all previous studies in recounting the actions of, and wildly contradictory viewpoints towards, this seminal figure ... his absolute mastery of the sources and deep understanding of Aldridge and the period lead to probing insights. * THEATRE JOURNAL *
With Ira Aldridge The Last Years, 1855-1867, Berth Lindfors concludes what will surely remain the definitive biography of the great nineteenth-century African American actor, Ira Aldridge, for many a decade ... Through an exhaustive search of local reviews and commentary he is able not only to follow Aldridge on his travels, but also to provide a wide range of observations on the actor's technique and artistic success. * RESEARCH IN AFRICAN LITERATURE *
Winner of the Theatre Library Association's 2015 George Freedley Award Special Jury Prize * . *
Lindfors's four-volume biography is destined to become the standard life of Aldridge, without equal in the future. Highly recommended. * CHOICE *
Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Acknowledgments Abbreviations Introduction Readjusting to Britain Crim. Con. On the Road Again Stockholm The Second Continental Tour Pest and Buda A Short Break The Third Continental Tour Home Again The Fourth Continental Tour The Fifth Continental Tour The Sixth Continental Tour Taking a Break The Seventh Continental Tour Another Break The Eighth Continental Tour The Ninth Continental Tour Final Acts Postmortem Notes Selected Bibliography Index
