Being Divine: A Biography of Sarah Bernhardt by Brandon, Ruth - 1991-07-15

Hardback. Very Good.

Secker & Warburg, London, 1991. First Edition. Hardcover (Original Cloth). Near Fine Condition/Near Fine. beige end-papers; Sarah Bernhardt - la divine, la grande Sarah - achieved a pinnacle of fame unprecedented in an age before film and television. Every aspect of her extraordinary life was reported in obsessive detail: her penchant for sculpting in a white silk Worth pyjama suit; her whim to have a tiger's tail grafted to the base of her spine (she was mercifully talked out of it); her ever-changing lovers; the coffin in which she reputedly slept and the number and veracity of her death scenes. Unfashionably thin, with clouds of blonde hair and long slanting eyes, Sarah possessed a golden voice, a determination to succeed which was almost frightening in its intensity, and the ability to convince everyone that she was the most beautiful and the most fascinating woman in the world. Sarah embarked on her acting career almost by accident, but she threw herself body and soul into her work… Read More