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Garbo
A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice One of Literary Hub's most anticipated books of 2021
Award-winning master critic Robert Gottlieb takes a singular and multifaceted look at the life of silver screen legend Greta Garbo, and the culture that worshiped her.
"Wherever you look in the period between 1925 and 1941," Robert Gottlieb writes in Garbo, "Greta Garbo is in people's minds, hearts, and dreams." Strikingly glamorous and famously inscrutable, she managed, in sixteen short years, to infiltrate the world's subconscious; the end of her film career, when she was thirty-six, only made her more irresistible. Garbo appeared in just twenty-four Hollywood movies, yet her impact on the world--and that indescribable, transcendent presence she possessed--was rivaled only by Marilyn Monroe's. She was looked on as a unique phenomenon, a sphinx, a myth, the most beautiful woman in the world, but in reality she was a Swedish peasant girl, uneducated, na�ve, and always on her guard. When she arrived in Hollywood, aged nineteen, she spoke barely a word of English and was completely unprepared for the ferocious publicity that quickly adhered to her as, almost overnight, she became the world's most famous actress.
In Garbo, the acclaimed critic and editor Robert Gottlieb offers a vivid and thorough retelling of her life, beginning in the slums of Stockholm and proceeding through her years of struggling to elude the attention of the world--her desperate, futile striving to be "left alone." He takes us through the films themselves, from M-G-M's early presentation of her as a "vamp"--her overwhelming beauty drawing men to their doom, a formula she loathed--to the artistic heights of Camille and Ninotchka ("Garbo Laughs!"), by way of Anna Christie ("Garbo Talks!"), Mata Hari, and Grand Hotel. He examines her passive withdrawal from the movies, and the endless attempts to draw her back. And he sketches the life she led as a very wealthy woman in New York--"a hermit about town"--and the life she led in Europe among the Rothschilds and men like Onassis and Churchill. Her relationships with her famous co-star John Gilbert, with Cecil Beaton, with Leopold Stokowski, with Erich Maria Remarque, with George Schlee--were they consummated? Was she bisexual? Was she sexual at all? The whole world wanted to know--and still wants to know.
In addition to offering his rich account of her life, Gottlieb, in what he calls "A Garbo Reader," brings together a remarkable assembly of glimpses of Garbo from other people's memoirs and interviews, ranging from Ingmar Bergman and Tallulah Bankhead to Roland Barthes; from literature (she turns up everywhere--in Hemingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls, in Evelyn Waugh, Graham Greene, and the letters of Marianne Moore and Alice B. Toklas); from countless songs and cartoons and articles of merchandise. Most extraordinary of all are the pictures--250 or so ravishing movie stills, formal portraits, and revealing snapshots--all reproduced here in superb duotone. She had no personal vanity, no interest in clothes and make-up, yet the story of Garbo is essentially the story of a face and the camera. Forty years after her career ended, she was still being tormented by unrelenting paparazzi wherever she went.
Includes Black-and-White Photographs
Award-winning master critic Robert Gottlieb takes a singular and multifaceted look at the life of silver screen legend Greta Garbo, and the culture that worshiped her.
"Wherever you look in the period between 1925 and 1941," Robert Gottlieb writes in Garbo, "Greta Garbo is in people's minds, hearts, and dreams." Strikingly glamorous and famously inscrutable, she managed, in sixteen short years, to infiltrate the world's subconscious; the end of her film career, when she was thirty-six, only made her more irresistible. Garbo appeared in just twenty-four Hollywood movies, yet her impact on the world--and that indescribable, transcendent presence she possessed--was rivaled only by Marilyn Monroe's. She was looked on as a unique phenomenon, a sphinx, a myth, the most beautiful woman in the world, but in reality she was a Swedish peasant girl, uneducated, na�ve, and always on her guard. When she arrived in Hollywood, aged nineteen, she spoke barely a word of English and was completely unprepared for the ferocious publicity that quickly adhered to her as, almost overnight, she became the world's most famous actress.
In Garbo, the acclaimed critic and editor Robert Gottlieb offers a vivid and thorough retelling of her life, beginning in the slums of Stockholm and proceeding through her years of struggling to elude the attention of the world--her desperate, futile striving to be "left alone." He takes us through the films themselves, from M-G-M's early presentation of her as a "vamp"--her overwhelming beauty drawing men to their doom, a formula she loathed--to the artistic heights of Camille and Ninotchka ("Garbo Laughs!"), by way of Anna Christie ("Garbo Talks!"), Mata Hari, and Grand Hotel. He examines her passive withdrawal from the movies, and the endless attempts to draw her back. And he sketches the life she led as a very wealthy woman in New York--"a hermit about town"--and the life she led in Europe among the Rothschilds and men like Onassis and Churchill. Her relationships with her famous co-star John Gilbert, with Cecil Beaton, with Leopold Stokowski, with Erich Maria Remarque, with George Schlee--were they consummated? Was she bisexual? Was she sexual at all? The whole world wanted to know--and still wants to know.
In addition to offering his rich account of her life, Gottlieb, in what he calls "A Garbo Reader," brings together a remarkable assembly of glimpses of Garbo from other people's memoirs and interviews, ranging from Ingmar Bergman and Tallulah Bankhead to Roland Barthes; from literature (she turns up everywhere--in Hemingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls, in Evelyn Waugh, Graham Greene, and the letters of Marianne Moore and Alice B. Toklas); from countless songs and cartoons and articles of merchandise. Most extraordinary of all are the pictures--250 or so ravishing movie stills, formal portraits, and revealing snapshots--all reproduced here in superb duotone. She had no personal vanity, no interest in clothes and make-up, yet the story of Garbo is essentially the story of a face and the camera. Forty years after her career ended, she was still being tormented by unrelenting paparazzi wherever she went.
Includes Black-and-White Photographs
438 pages, Hardcover
First published December 6, 2021
About the author
Robert Gottlieb
7 books15 followersRobert Gottlieb was an American writer and editor of Simon & Schuster, Knopf, and The New Yorker.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews
December 26, 2021
Garbo: Her Life, Her Films by Robert Gottieb is a 2021 Farrar, Straus and Giroux publication.
Just the singular name- Garbo- brings with it a certain mystique.
Garbo was a fine actress-successfully transitioning from the silent era into ‘talkies’, but it was the mystery surrounding her that captivated us for decades after she made her last film.
I think it is telling that here we are in 2021 still mesmerized and fascinated with Garbo.
There have been several deeply researched biographies written about Garbo over the years, something that Gottieb acknowledged and even quoted from one or two of them in this book.
But Gottieb has taken a refreshing approach, combining both Garbo’s career and her personal life into one book and having them coincide together in the same time frame, so we understand what was going on in Garbo’s life while she was making her movies.
Garbo was well ahead of her time, and she pushed the envelope, both professionally and personally, seeming to always march to the beat of her own drum. Yet, at the same time, I think maybe she just didn’t do what was expected, but not necessarily by design.
I think she’s been understandably mythologized, but once you strip away the veneer, she was a shy, quiet woman, who valued her privacy.
Her personality wasn’t as large as one might be led to believe, and her relationships weren’t nearly as torrid as they might seem.
The reality is far less glamorous. Garbo seems to me to have suffered from depression, based on some of her comments, but perhaps she also liked living life on her own terms, enjoying close friendships over marriage and children, or maybe she just enjoyed her own company.
For me, it is her presence on the screen and those expressive eyes that captivates her audience. Her performances are sealed in time, forever frozen in place, her aura impossible to replicate.
Once the busty bleach blondes were ushered in, the Golden Age magnificence faded away, but Garbo remains as iconic as ever, eighty years after her last film.
This book is very well researched, and has a wonderful, engaging presentation.
There are some fun trivia facts about Garbo in the last several sections, including the times she was mentioned in contemporary songs and books, musings by Billy Wilder and Melvyn Douglas, amongst others, ‘Garbo sightings’, a wide array of photographs, a filmography, and bibliography.
This is an interesting, and very insightful biography, tastefully done, and reliable, but never heavy.
I think Robert Gottieb has given us an incredibly intimate portrait of the iconic actress- the one and the only- Greta Garbo.
Just the singular name- Garbo- brings with it a certain mystique.
Garbo was a fine actress-successfully transitioning from the silent era into ‘talkies’, but it was the mystery surrounding her that captivated us for decades after she made her last film.
I think it is telling that here we are in 2021 still mesmerized and fascinated with Garbo.
There have been several deeply researched biographies written about Garbo over the years, something that Gottieb acknowledged and even quoted from one or two of them in this book.
But Gottieb has taken a refreshing approach, combining both Garbo’s career and her personal life into one book and having them coincide together in the same time frame, so we understand what was going on in Garbo’s life while she was making her movies.
Garbo was well ahead of her time, and she pushed the envelope, both professionally and personally, seeming to always march to the beat of her own drum. Yet, at the same time, I think maybe she just didn’t do what was expected, but not necessarily by design.
I think she’s been understandably mythologized, but once you strip away the veneer, she was a shy, quiet woman, who valued her privacy.
Her personality wasn’t as large as one might be led to believe, and her relationships weren’t nearly as torrid as they might seem.
The reality is far less glamorous. Garbo seems to me to have suffered from depression, based on some of her comments, but perhaps she also liked living life on her own terms, enjoying close friendships over marriage and children, or maybe she just enjoyed her own company.
For me, it is her presence on the screen and those expressive eyes that captivates her audience. Her performances are sealed in time, forever frozen in place, her aura impossible to replicate.
Once the busty bleach blondes were ushered in, the Golden Age magnificence faded away, but Garbo remains as iconic as ever, eighty years after her last film.
This book is very well researched, and has a wonderful, engaging presentation.
There are some fun trivia facts about Garbo in the last several sections, including the times she was mentioned in contemporary songs and books, musings by Billy Wilder and Melvyn Douglas, amongst others, ‘Garbo sightings’, a wide array of photographs, a filmography, and bibliography.
This is an interesting, and very insightful biography, tastefully done, and reliable, but never heavy.
I think Robert Gottieb has given us an incredibly intimate portrait of the iconic actress- the one and the only- Greta Garbo.
May 20, 2022
3.5 I was introduced to Garbo and the Golden Age of movies by grandfather. He loved them and I loved watching, even as a young pre teen, these movies, this time I spent with him. Priceless.
His favorite was Maureen O'Hara, mine was Gene Tierney. Garbo started in silent films, these I never saw but do remember seeing some of her so called talkies. She has had a mysterious reputation, not many, as is shown in this book, actually got to really know her.
Was
The first part of the book touches on her youth, her arrival from Sweden, but the majority is focused on the movies she made. Her relationships, her leading men, and always her elusive personally. The photos were wonderful, but I felt this part went on too long, was too extensive. It's the last part, when we read accounts of her by people she knew or met. It is hard to get a good sense of who she was as a person, she was chameleon. Very much her own person. A person who kept herself to herself, as much as possible. A very complicated but talented person.
His favorite was Maureen O'Hara, mine was Gene Tierney. Garbo started in silent films, these I never saw but do remember seeing some of her so called talkies. She has had a mysterious reputation, not many, as is shown in this book, actually got to really know her.
Was
The first part of the book touches on her youth, her arrival from Sweden, but the majority is focused on the movies she made. Her relationships, her leading men, and always her elusive personally. The photos were wonderful, but I felt this part went on too long, was too extensive. It's the last part, when we read accounts of her by people she knew or met. It is hard to get a good sense of who she was as a person, she was chameleon. Very much her own person. A person who kept herself to herself, as much as possible. A very complicated but talented person.
February 9, 2022
2.5 rounded up. More about early 20th century Hollywood and Garbo’s place in it than about Garbo specifically. We get a better sense of her as a person from the last quarter of the book, which is a collection of writings by others who knew or worked with her.
January 3, 2022
A very well researched biography of the "Divine Garbo." Gorgeous gallery of photos.
December 21, 2021
There are a lot of books about Greta Garbo out there, and as someone who really knew nothing about her (but enjoys reading about "Old Hollywood,") I recommend this as a great place to start.
Not only is Gottlieb exhaustive in his own research - which clearly he enjoys, and that makes the book enjoyable, too - he's very quick to cite the work of other authors, which gives you several jumping off points.
Garbo is fascinating, and it makes the reader wonder why everyone so obsessed with fame doesn't take a page from her book: less is more, and mystery will drive people crazy.
This is a really good read about a star, her time, and ultimately her strategy to stay out of the limelight enough to thoroughly dominate it.
A lot of fun.
Not only is Gottlieb exhaustive in his own research - which clearly he enjoys, and that makes the book enjoyable, too - he's very quick to cite the work of other authors, which gives you several jumping off points.
Garbo is fascinating, and it makes the reader wonder why everyone so obsessed with fame doesn't take a page from her book: less is more, and mystery will drive people crazy.
This is a really good read about a star, her time, and ultimately her strategy to stay out of the limelight enough to thoroughly dominate it.
A lot of fun.
May 26, 2022
Mėgstamiausio Gretos Garbo fotografo Clarence Sinclair Bull fotografija.
Kai išgirstu Gretos Garbo vardą, pirmiausia pamatau jos akis. Tad, šios rimtos ir labai gražiai išleistos biografijos viršelis puikus. Paprastas ir tikslus. Akys - šios legendinės žvaigždės vizitinė kortelė.
Nepasakyčiau, kad man labai patinka filmai, kuriuose vaidino GG. O ir mačiau juos tik kelis. Įsimintiniausias man buvo - "Karalienė Kristina". Bet, kad ir prasčiausiame filme jos veido magnetizmas mane labai stebino. Todėl ši paslaptinga ir vieniša asmenybė mane labai domino.
Rekomenduoju tiems, kam įdomi 20-ojo amžiaus kinematografijos istorija ir šio laikotarpio žvaigždės. Tikrai labai išsamiai (tiek tekstu, tiek fotografijomis) papasakota vienos iš pačių gariausių švedų/amerikiečių aktorių gyvenimo istorija.
P. S. Lietuviškai yra Vagos išleista (1994) nedidukė Csengery Judit knygutė "Greta Garbo"
May 14, 2022
I'm not sure what this is...a bio? A sampler of other bios? A personal commentary? A collage of words and images about Garbo? It's fascinating, but it's oddly constructed, and I'm let unsatisfied as to the subject matter? Great swaths of other people's writing compete with the author's own to tell the story of Garbo, and I wish there had been a greater unity of style and content. But there is no doubt that the enthusiasm for the subject seeps out of every page.
April 27, 2023
Greta Garbo is a household name despite her short movie career (she quit movies at age 36) and the fact that her movies were good but not truly classics. An interesting subject, but this book fails to make us truly know her.
Born into a poor family in Stockholm, Sweden, for recreation she would play at being an actress and director with other children in her neighborhood, having to quit school early to support her family when her father died. She worked several jobs before she became a store model for clothing, then became a young movie actress, making it in Sweden and Germany before being taken to the United States. The book describes how her acting was based on not only looks but performances, being more subtle than hammy, and how she transitioned from silents to talkies easily, but decided to abandon acting when she did when she evidently was starting to feel old. Not that it mattered; she had saved enough money to live comfortably for the rest of her life.
However, the book quotes heavily from other books and people; you never get a clear picture of her character. She alternated between fun-loving and depressed; she was kind to some people but not others; she valued her privacy and did what she could to get gawkers away. She brought her relatives to America to live comfortably but was never emotionally close to them. Unfortunately the book never says enough for us to really get to know Garbo.
Born into a poor family in Stockholm, Sweden, for recreation she would play at being an actress and director with other children in her neighborhood, having to quit school early to support her family when her father died. She worked several jobs before she became a store model for clothing, then became a young movie actress, making it in Sweden and Germany before being taken to the United States. The book describes how her acting was based on not only looks but performances, being more subtle than hammy, and how she transitioned from silents to talkies easily, but decided to abandon acting when she did when she evidently was starting to feel old. Not that it mattered; she had saved enough money to live comfortably for the rest of her life.
However, the book quotes heavily from other books and people; you never get a clear picture of her character. She alternated between fun-loving and depressed; she was kind to some people but not others; she valued her privacy and did what she could to get gawkers away. She brought her relatives to America to live comfortably but was never emotionally close to them. Unfortunately the book never says enough for us to really get to know Garbo.
January 14, 2022
Like more men than I can conceive of, for years I have been astounded at the beauty of one Hollywood star and her name is Greta Garbo. Something about her, even though she was a recluse for much of my life (she died in 1990, when I was 50) made me all but gasp when I saw pictures of her or saw a clip of her scuttling along a New York street in pants, slouch hat, beret, trench coat and dark glasses. On the rare occasion that I got to see a film of hers—Grand Hotel, or Ninotchka, for example, I marveled at her modernity and range. That face haunted me for my entire life. Later in life, when I became a film reviewer, I would compare her with the current crop of “stars” and she always won. When I recently read in the NY Times of a new biography of Garbo, I put it on my wish list for Christmas. Unfortunately, nobody bit so I had to get the book myself. What a treasure! Gottlieb is a bit catty and sometimes almost cruelly honest in evaluation of Garbo’s work and those she worked with, but his writing is lively, the text is interspersed with photographs of Garbo and the concluding sections, observations of both her films and her personal behavior, are astounding. Garbo remains largely a mysterious character, primarily I assume, because she left her career in her thirties. “I vant to be alone” is her alleged slogan and exit line, but it was a sentiment she often expressed both off-screen and on. After reading this biography of her, I am convinced that most of her shyness and preference for a limited number of friends and her predilection for being alone stemmed from the facts of her life. She was lifted from a poverty-driven life in Stockholm, Sweden, and, after a successful film there was injected into the American cinema bloodstream by her mentor, Mauritz Stiller. The Swedish director wanted to make it big in Hollywood and dragged his blossoming starlet along to help him on his rise to fame. She soon eclipsed him, after several years of frustration he was allowed to fail in a big directing job and disappeared from her life. But the significant point about all this is that she was ill-prepared for the life that she was forced to live. She was not well-educated—some would maintain that she was not only badly educated but stupid—and the crowd she ran with was. At one party hosted by Salka Viertel, one of Garbo’s closest friends, one could find Thomas Mann, Igor Stravinsky, Arnold Schoenberg, Charlie Chaplin and Billy Wilder. One of my favorite stories from the book is told by actor/writer/director Robert Parrish.
I walked in the back door one day and there was a guy with short hair cooking at the stove. In the living room
Artur Rubinstein was tinkling on the piano, Greta Garbo was lying on the sofa and Christopher Isherwood was lounging in a chair. ‘Who’s the guy in the kitchen?’ I asked nobody in particular. ‘Bertolt Brecht’ was the reply.
No wonder the barely-taught Swede was intimidated and shy. Throughout the book, there are stories of a shy Garbo going to parties, spending ten minutes being looked at, and departing without a word to her host or hostess. There are countless stories of her entering a restaurant or a theater or a private home as all conversation ceased in her presence. That kind of living is hard to get used to and every indication is that she didn’t get used to it. Gottlieb analyzes almost every film Garbo made and his language is stressed to relate how great most of them were—except for the bombs that she was forced to make occasionally. She rebelled finally against the vampish roles she started with and, with Ninotchka, headlined “Garbo Laughs!” in all the publicity, she broke out into what most of her friends thought was her preferred style—light, sophisticated and funny. She had a great sense of humor, not to mention the ridiculous. All her friends and critics who knew her off-screen agree that Garb loved to laugh. That she seldom did in her film roles is sad. I sensed that, with the freedom to laugh and be laughed at, Garbo might have had a better life. Gottlieb cannot determine the answers to the questions of so many about Garbo’s sexuality. The best estimate, from her behavior, is that she was bisexual. Many of the alleged affairs she had were non-consummated friendships with one of the many gay men in Hollywood and she did not seek to marry or have children. The book makes wonderful reading and is a challenge to the reader’s strength: printed on high-quality paper, the book is amazingly heavy for its size. This is a book I may read again, just to look at the ravishing photographs of her. There is an entire gallery of them late in the book. My favorite is #21—a shot of her from the right side, apparently naked to the waist (the shot only goes just past her shoulders) her lips are slightly separated, her hair is not perfect (it seldom was) and her eyes are on the way to being closed. It captures for me the essence of Garbo: the sexiness, the smokiness and the mystery of the woman who has been called, with good reason, “the most beautiful woman in the world.” Garbo.
I walked in the back door one day and there was a guy with short hair cooking at the stove. In the living room
Artur Rubinstein was tinkling on the piano, Greta Garbo was lying on the sofa and Christopher Isherwood was lounging in a chair. ‘Who’s the guy in the kitchen?’ I asked nobody in particular. ‘Bertolt Brecht’ was the reply.
No wonder the barely-taught Swede was intimidated and shy. Throughout the book, there are stories of a shy Garbo going to parties, spending ten minutes being looked at, and departing without a word to her host or hostess. There are countless stories of her entering a restaurant or a theater or a private home as all conversation ceased in her presence. That kind of living is hard to get used to and every indication is that she didn’t get used to it. Gottlieb analyzes almost every film Garbo made and his language is stressed to relate how great most of them were—except for the bombs that she was forced to make occasionally. She rebelled finally against the vampish roles she started with and, with Ninotchka, headlined “Garbo Laughs!” in all the publicity, she broke out into what most of her friends thought was her preferred style—light, sophisticated and funny. She had a great sense of humor, not to mention the ridiculous. All her friends and critics who knew her off-screen agree that Garb loved to laugh. That she seldom did in her film roles is sad. I sensed that, with the freedom to laugh and be laughed at, Garbo might have had a better life. Gottlieb cannot determine the answers to the questions of so many about Garbo’s sexuality. The best estimate, from her behavior, is that she was bisexual. Many of the alleged affairs she had were non-consummated friendships with one of the many gay men in Hollywood and she did not seek to marry or have children. The book makes wonderful reading and is a challenge to the reader’s strength: printed on high-quality paper, the book is amazingly heavy for its size. This is a book I may read again, just to look at the ravishing photographs of her. There is an entire gallery of them late in the book. My favorite is #21—a shot of her from the right side, apparently naked to the waist (the shot only goes just past her shoulders) her lips are slightly separated, her hair is not perfect (it seldom was) and her eyes are on the way to being closed. It captures for me the essence of Garbo: the sexiness, the smokiness and the mystery of the woman who has been called, with good reason, “the most beautiful woman in the world.” Garbo.
January 26, 2022
A good read for film lovers. The book provides behind-the-scenes descriptions of cast, crew, and production on Garbo's major films and interesting little-known facts surrounding her friends and experiences after her film career. The work also contains innumerable photographs, formal and informal, by famous photographers.
March 10, 2022
By no means the "definitive" Garbo book, though Gottlieb, to his credit, isn't pretending it is. Still, it gives a nice overview of her work, replete with glossy photos of her (because you must!), sometimes taking up two page spreads. The last third of the book is given over to exploring what others have written or said about Garbo over the years, with Gottlieb offering paragraphs taken from other books, quotes from interviews, even song lyrics about her. I found it all a ton of fun.
January 4, 2022
Having heard my grandmother speak of the actress and the mystery surrounding her, I was curious as I thought this book might provide an answer. I am afraid that I found it a bit boring, not because of the writer, but because I am not a movie fan follower. Information given read like many of the movie magazines.
January 23, 2022
Saw this book on display at my local public library and was curious. I enjoyed it. GARBO was, for a 16 year run, the biggest star in the world. Those eyes, and her looks propelled her career. I knew nothing about her, other than her status as an icon. I was impressed by the physical book itself, with it's choice of fonts, paper quality, photos. It felt like a premium quality book. It was a joy to hold and page thru. I enjoyed the authors style. My only complaint is at the end, as a kind of epilogue, are some other bits of writing about her, from other people, that seemed to drag the book out. But otherwise, it's a solid biography about someone I knew nothing about and was curious to learn more.
January 26, 2022
Garbo Biography!
A solid biography of Greta Garbo and I enjoyed learning about her life. I was less thrilled by the author's detailed opinion of her movies but loved all the photos. The inclusion of articles, snippets of others' autobiographies mentioning Garbo, and song was quite entertaining. Garbo really did what she wanted to do. She made movies, was good with money and lived a limited secluded life where everyone was sworn to secrecy.
A solid biography of Greta Garbo and I enjoyed learning about her life. I was less thrilled by the author's detailed opinion of her movies but loved all the photos. The inclusion of articles, snippets of others' autobiographies mentioning Garbo, and song was quite entertaining. Garbo really did what she wanted to do. She made movies, was good with money and lived a limited secluded life where everyone was sworn to secrecy.
February 8, 2023
I really didn't like this. He glosses over every aspect of her life and career. I don't like the tone used. It's a bit too smarmy. I don't know. Also, the last 25% of the book is just him republishing other people's work. Including a 1931 article from Silver Screen by Harriet Parsons where she essentially just stalks Garbo for 24 hours. It's pretty fucking weird
I know about as much about Garbo now as I did before I read the book. I feel like that's not a ringing endorsement for a biography. Especially since I didn't know all that much to begin with. Anyway
I know about as much about Garbo now as I did before I read the book. I feel like that's not a ringing endorsement for a biography. Especially since I didn't know all that much to begin with. Anyway
March 17, 2024
I have now read two books on the great Garbo, and have to say Gottlieb’s take on Garbo is incredible. I really enjoyed the photographs, conveniently placed amongst the story. Gottlieb’s background as an editor is skillfully demonstrated, as his copy is precise, playful, and pleasant. This book, like Garbo, is easy on the eyes. I highly recommend!
February 4, 2022
After reading rave reviews of this book, I was eager to hear the audiobook and check out its awesomeness. Perhaps that set my standards too high because the book didn't really wow me.
Probably reading it would be the better choice; reviews mention the wonderful photos and of course, that doesn't come through in audio. The text was fine and I liked the insights on Garbo's nature (she sounds like an introvert...her desire for solitude is relatable).
The end part is vignettes from other people, with mixed results. Some stories/quotes were interesting. One from Harriet Parsons (daughter of Louella Parsons) about how she tracked down and stalked Garbo is pretty creepy. No wonder she drew boundaries.
I found the audiobook's narrator somewhat odd...she has a way of gulping or swallowing between some words. She also was rather dramatic at times and this was a bit much for me. I did like her voice overall...although one with a true Swedish accent might be fun.
Probably reading it would be the better choice; reviews mention the wonderful photos and of course, that doesn't come through in audio. The text was fine and I liked the insights on Garbo's nature (she sounds like an introvert...her desire for solitude is relatable).
The end part is vignettes from other people, with mixed results. Some stories/quotes were interesting. One from Harriet Parsons (daughter of Louella Parsons) about how she tracked down and stalked Garbo is pretty creepy. No wonder she drew boundaries.
I found the audiobook's narrator somewhat odd...she has a way of gulping or swallowing between some words. She also was rather dramatic at times and this was a bit much for me. I did like her voice overall...although one with a true Swedish accent might be fun.
February 9, 2022
Thoroughly engaging and everything one would hope for in a biography of one of the most mysterious and intriguing women of the modern age. The style is dramatic, exultant, wry, and speculative. The world can only know Garbo through hearsay, as she refused to give interviews, so much of what we know about her is second hand. This biography is more a biography of what Garbo represents than the woman herself, and that works in this case; her appeal has always rested in her inability to be captured, except on film. I’ve always been interested in the fact that at the height of her fame, she walked away. She just said no thanks. Her movies generally aren’t great, and her acting style is dated, and in many ways indicative of actors at the time, one-note. But it’s that one note that has been sustained to this day, even as memory of her fades and her cultural impact slowly recedes. A well done biography.
April 9, 2022
As MGM reaches its 100 anniversary (founded in 1924), its fitting to discover and pay homage to one of the stars it made famous. Molding an impoverished Swede named Greta Gustafsson to the worldwide glamour actress Greta Garbo. She starred in 11 silent films before transitioning to 14 talking films after sound was invented. All between 1925 to 1941. And then retiring from acting at 36.
With so much having been written already about Garbo, why would the author, Robert Gottlieb, attempt to add more? He does so in a refreshing way while paying homage to those who have written about her before him.
If I could, I’d give this book an additional star (a 6th if possible) specifically to the publisher - Farrar, Straus and Giroux - for the high quality glossy paper, tight binding and exquisitely high res black and white photos. The book itself is like holding onto Garbo herself.
Side interesting fact: MGM was originally written out with hyphens, M-G-M, until 1956.
With so much having been written already about Garbo, why would the author, Robert Gottlieb, attempt to add more? He does so in a refreshing way while paying homage to those who have written about her before him.
If I could, I’d give this book an additional star (a 6th if possible) specifically to the publisher - Farrar, Straus and Giroux - for the high quality glossy paper, tight binding and exquisitely high res black and white photos. The book itself is like holding onto Garbo herself.
Side interesting fact: MGM was originally written out with hyphens, M-G-M, until 1956.
January 10, 2022
Not clear why Gottlieb wrote this book. Nothing really new (he himself constantly cites prior biographies that he calls excellent); and Garbo was a relatively boring and selfish person.
December 30, 2022
W panteonie hollywoodzkich gwiazd są takie nazwiska, które na zawsze zapadną w pamięć, gdyż definiują postaci o nietuzinkowej osobowości, które stały się ikonami przemysłu filmowego. Do takich postaci, które bezsprzecznie będą kojarzyć się z blichtrem dużego ekranu i oszałamiającą światową karierą z pewnością zaliczyć należy Gretę Garbo. Ta zjawiskowa Szwedka, o wręcz lodowatym spojrzeniu, stała się symbolem kobiecości i wyznacznikiem elegancji, pomimo tego, że jako jedna z niewielu gwiazd hollywoodzkich kryła w sobie najwięcej tajemnic, pozostając niewyjaśnioną zagadką dla jej wielbicieli.
O blaskach i cieniach kariery aktorki rozprawia Robert Gottlieb, w poświęconej jej biografii – „Garbo. Najbardziej tajemnicza gwiazda Hollywood”, wydanej nakładem wydawnictwa Znak.
Z ogromną przyjemnością zagłębiłam się w lekturę tej książki, gdyż faktycznie moja wiedza o aktorce sprowadzała się wyłącznie do umiejętności wskazania kilku filmów z jej udziałem, które w ramach czy to Pereł z Lamusa czy Starego dobrego kina (programów prowadzonych lata temu, kiedy telewizja Polska miała jeszcze cokolwiek wspólnego z misją, a prowadzonych przez Zygmunta Kałużyńskiego i Tomasza Raczka), dane mi było zobaczyć. Pamiętam zatem Ninoczkę, Królową Krytynę czy Annę Kareninę, w których wybitne kreacje aktorskie stworzyła Garbo, ale oprócz tego moja wiedza oparta była raczej na niewiedzy.
Tym czasem okazuje się, że historia Garbo to odrobinę amerykański sen – od zera do milionera. Pochodząca z wielodzietnej robotniczej rodziny Garbo nie miała łatwego dzieciństwa. Bieda aż piszczałą w każdym kącie, ojciec, z którym mocno była związana, zmarł dość młodo, więc zaledwie kilkunastoletnia Greta musiała pójść do pracy, co odbiło się na jej edukacji, z czym później już zawsze będzie miała problem, jako jednym z głównych kompleksów, który rzucał cień na jej życie. Praca na stoisku z konfekcją damską stanowił jednak jedynie krótki przystanek w jej życiorysie, gdyż udział w kilku kampaniach reklamowych zapewnił jej zainteresowanie lokalnych twórców kina artystycznego. Jednym z nich był Mauritz Stiller, który oczarowany młodą Szwedką i stał się trampoliną do jej sukcesu. To za jego sprawą, mając zaledwie siedemnaście lat wyruszyła w podróż życia za wielką wodę i tu szybko stała się jedną z głównych gwiazd wytwórni MGM (Metro Golden Meyer, tak to ta z lwem w czołówce). I tu też ogromne zaskoczenie, gdyż jak się okazuje początkowo aktorka, z racji epoki kina niemego, była jedną z czołowych przedstawicielek tej formy kinematografii, a dopiero z czasem, za sprawą udźwiękowienia pełnego metrażu, odzyskała głos.
Oprócz historii kariery zawodowej aktorki, którą ta zaledwie w wieku 36 lat porzuciła, autor poświęca gro uwagi na odkrycie rąbka tajemnicy odnośnie prywatności aktorki. Chociaż ta za życia bardzo chroniła swój wizerunek i praktycznie nie dzieliła się wiadomościami z życia poza blaskiem fleszy, to Gottlieb zagłębia się zarówno w jej życie uczuciowe, przedstawiając jej miłosne podboje zarówno te, które ograniczały się do krótkich romansów jak np. związek z pisarzem Erikiem Marią Remarque’m, czy długoletnie fascynacje oparte na trwałym i solidnym fundamencie jak np. z wieloletnim kochankiem George’m Schlee.
„Garbo” to wreszcie opowieść o kobiecie pod każdym względem niezależnej – wolnej od jakiegokolwiek formalnego związku, nieznoszącej narzucania jej zasad sprzecznych z jej charakterem, stawiającej twardo na swoim w kontaktach z wytwórnią oraz dbającej o swą stabilizację finansową, przez umiejętne inwestowania pozyskiwanych zasobów. Ogromna determinacja w dążeniu do celu, twardy charakter i nieustępliwość sprawiła jednak, że nie dopuszczała ona jednak do siebie wielu osób, a jej grono przyjaciół było mocno okrojone. Jak wskazuje jednak poświęcona jej książka to była cen jaką w pełni świadomie płaciła i na jaką sama się godziła.
Niezależnie od warstwy czytelniczej ogromnym atutem książki jest bogate jej zilustrowanie licznymi fotografiami dokumentującymi kolejne okresy w jej karierze. Pojawia się zatem zarówno szereg kadrów z ujęć filmowych, jak i z prywatnych jej zasobów, które obrazują postać aktorki czasem nawet lepiej niż same słowa.
Uzupełnieniem części biograficznej jest zamieszczenie suplementów w postaci ujęcia sylwetki Garbo w wypowiedziach jej współpracowników, czy w impresjach lub komentarzach na jej temat, a wreszcie wzmianki o niej w literaturze czy w tekstach piosenek, co stanowi taką dodatkową wisienkę na torcie.
Jeśli zatem jesteście pasjonatami kinematografii, lubicie stare dobre kino albo z chęcią chwytacie za biografię z pewnością jest to pozycja obowiązkowa, do której lektury serdecznie Was zachęcam.
O blaskach i cieniach kariery aktorki rozprawia Robert Gottlieb, w poświęconej jej biografii – „Garbo. Najbardziej tajemnicza gwiazda Hollywood”, wydanej nakładem wydawnictwa Znak.
Z ogromną przyjemnością zagłębiłam się w lekturę tej książki, gdyż faktycznie moja wiedza o aktorce sprowadzała się wyłącznie do umiejętności wskazania kilku filmów z jej udziałem, które w ramach czy to Pereł z Lamusa czy Starego dobrego kina (programów prowadzonych lata temu, kiedy telewizja Polska miała jeszcze cokolwiek wspólnego z misją, a prowadzonych przez Zygmunta Kałużyńskiego i Tomasza Raczka), dane mi było zobaczyć. Pamiętam zatem Ninoczkę, Królową Krytynę czy Annę Kareninę, w których wybitne kreacje aktorskie stworzyła Garbo, ale oprócz tego moja wiedza oparta była raczej na niewiedzy.
Tym czasem okazuje się, że historia Garbo to odrobinę amerykański sen – od zera do milionera. Pochodząca z wielodzietnej robotniczej rodziny Garbo nie miała łatwego dzieciństwa. Bieda aż piszczałą w każdym kącie, ojciec, z którym mocno była związana, zmarł dość młodo, więc zaledwie kilkunastoletnia Greta musiała pójść do pracy, co odbiło się na jej edukacji, z czym później już zawsze będzie miała problem, jako jednym z głównych kompleksów, który rzucał cień na jej życie. Praca na stoisku z konfekcją damską stanowił jednak jedynie krótki przystanek w jej życiorysie, gdyż udział w kilku kampaniach reklamowych zapewnił jej zainteresowanie lokalnych twórców kina artystycznego. Jednym z nich był Mauritz Stiller, który oczarowany młodą Szwedką i stał się trampoliną do jej sukcesu. To za jego sprawą, mając zaledwie siedemnaście lat wyruszyła w podróż życia za wielką wodę i tu szybko stała się jedną z głównych gwiazd wytwórni MGM (Metro Golden Meyer, tak to ta z lwem w czołówce). I tu też ogromne zaskoczenie, gdyż jak się okazuje początkowo aktorka, z racji epoki kina niemego, była jedną z czołowych przedstawicielek tej formy kinematografii, a dopiero z czasem, za sprawą udźwiękowienia pełnego metrażu, odzyskała głos.
Oprócz historii kariery zawodowej aktorki, którą ta zaledwie w wieku 36 lat porzuciła, autor poświęca gro uwagi na odkrycie rąbka tajemnicy odnośnie prywatności aktorki. Chociaż ta za życia bardzo chroniła swój wizerunek i praktycznie nie dzieliła się wiadomościami z życia poza blaskiem fleszy, to Gottlieb zagłębia się zarówno w jej życie uczuciowe, przedstawiając jej miłosne podboje zarówno te, które ograniczały się do krótkich romansów jak np. związek z pisarzem Erikiem Marią Remarque’m, czy długoletnie fascynacje oparte na trwałym i solidnym fundamencie jak np. z wieloletnim kochankiem George’m Schlee.
„Garbo” to wreszcie opowieść o kobiecie pod każdym względem niezależnej – wolnej od jakiegokolwiek formalnego związku, nieznoszącej narzucania jej zasad sprzecznych z jej charakterem, stawiającej twardo na swoim w kontaktach z wytwórnią oraz dbającej o swą stabilizację finansową, przez umiejętne inwestowania pozyskiwanych zasobów. Ogromna determinacja w dążeniu do celu, twardy charakter i nieustępliwość sprawiła jednak, że nie dopuszczała ona jednak do siebie wielu osób, a jej grono przyjaciół było mocno okrojone. Jak wskazuje jednak poświęcona jej książka to była cen jaką w pełni świadomie płaciła i na jaką sama się godziła.
Niezależnie od warstwy czytelniczej ogromnym atutem książki jest bogate jej zilustrowanie licznymi fotografiami dokumentującymi kolejne okresy w jej karierze. Pojawia się zatem zarówno szereg kadrów z ujęć filmowych, jak i z prywatnych jej zasobów, które obrazują postać aktorki czasem nawet lepiej niż same słowa.
Uzupełnieniem części biograficznej jest zamieszczenie suplementów w postaci ujęcia sylwetki Garbo w wypowiedziach jej współpracowników, czy w impresjach lub komentarzach na jej temat, a wreszcie wzmianki o niej w literaturze czy w tekstach piosenek, co stanowi taką dodatkową wisienkę na torcie.
Jeśli zatem jesteście pasjonatami kinematografii, lubicie stare dobre kino albo z chęcią chwytacie za biografię z pewnością jest to pozycja obowiązkowa, do której lektury serdecznie Was zachęcam.
March 8, 2024
It was a quick read. Didn't go terribly deep but it seems that the subject herself wasn't terribly deep. She was a bit slippery in life and it added to her mystique, but this makes her a difficult subject to know. It seems she always wanted to be an actress, and she set about becoming one. People recognized either her talent or her beauty or both, and she was soon on her way to Hollywood. At some point early in her fame, she seems to have become ambivalent about her profession. Was it the homesickness she felt in Hollywood? Was the attention more than she'd expected? Somehow this made her great at getting what she wanted, whether it was fewer pictures per year, or time off, or a passion project like "Queen Christina" when most actors were told to consider themselves lucky. It's nice to read about how John Gilbert immediately wanted to care for her, mitigate her homesickness, acclimate her to the dream factory.
The author can be very frank (sometimes glib but not unwelcome) in assessing Garbo's films, particularly the late silents and early talkies. I agreed for the most part but I do like "As You Desire Me" more than most people, and while I agree that nobody should have committed to "Two Faced Woman", I also think it's not the worst. The author believes that this flop gave Garbo the opportunity to retreat from Hollywood, which she had possibly desired for quite some time, believing that aging on screen or being relegated to supporting roles was not what she wanted. She entertained ideas of returning, even said yes to "My Cousin Rachel" before backing out the next day, and there were many scripts written with her in mind by Orson Welles, Tennessee Williams, Stanley Kramer. Walter Wanger came closest to getting her to come back.
Meanwhile she had affairs with Leopold Stokowski, Cecil Beaton (possibly her longest?) and others. She lived in New York as the most photographed hermit in the world. She invested her money well and was rich. The author states that she retained a childlike quality throughout her life, a mixture of learned helplessness and access to simple joys.
Approximately one fourth of this book consists of contemporary writing about Garbo which provides different viewpoints (mostly gushing) about her allure and talent. So the actual biography goes quite quickly and then there's this appendix.
The author can be very frank (sometimes glib but not unwelcome) in assessing Garbo's films, particularly the late silents and early talkies. I agreed for the most part but I do like "As You Desire Me" more than most people, and while I agree that nobody should have committed to "Two Faced Woman", I also think it's not the worst. The author believes that this flop gave Garbo the opportunity to retreat from Hollywood, which she had possibly desired for quite some time, believing that aging on screen or being relegated to supporting roles was not what she wanted. She entertained ideas of returning, even said yes to "My Cousin Rachel" before backing out the next day, and there were many scripts written with her in mind by Orson Welles, Tennessee Williams, Stanley Kramer. Walter Wanger came closest to getting her to come back.
Meanwhile she had affairs with Leopold Stokowski, Cecil Beaton (possibly her longest?) and others. She lived in New York as the most photographed hermit in the world. She invested her money well and was rich. The author states that she retained a childlike quality throughout her life, a mixture of learned helplessness and access to simple joys.
Approximately one fourth of this book consists of contemporary writing about Garbo which provides different viewpoints (mostly gushing) about her allure and talent. So the actual biography goes quite quickly and then there's this appendix.
October 18, 2022
I’m not sure what to make of this one. Gottleib draws generously from other sources, in particular the well regarded biography by Barry Paris. (Unfortunately my library didn’t carry it.) It’s clear he enjoyed writing the book and it’s well written. I enjoyed a lot of it. I’m not sure we learn anything new, gain any fresh insight.
Despite the many materials this book draws on, it’s still hard to get a picture of who Greta Garbo really was, her character, what drove her to make the choices she made. This isn’t a criticism of the book. The author seems to embrace that very idea. People change, people adjust to circumstances, and we are different things to different people. If you add in an intensely private, perhaps shy personality, perhaps mercurial nature, then the elusiveness to us makes sense, but she is then inevitably less intriguing then we all make her out to be in our minds.
Small irritations:
• It’s a small thing, but heaven save me from men who describe unspecified gynaecological issues as “female organ” problems. Just – ugh.
• I don’t agree with the author’s interpretation of Maugham’s The Painted Veil (the book, not the movie but it becomes unclear to which he is referring so I could be wrong).
• The additional materials – a substantial portion of the book consists of excerpts of others’ writings on Garbo - are a mix of value add and less so. “Garbo in Song” could be interesting if one stumbles across one with which you’re unfamiliar, I suppose?
Best Quotes from the book:
• Simone De Beauvoir: “Garbo’s face had a vague expression onto which you could project anything at all; you can’t project anything onto Bardot’s face. It is what it is.”
• Adela Rogers St. Johns in The Honeycomb: “In personality, her one-hundred-per-sent Swedish reactions were difficult for us to follow, her slow mind, her fear-dislike of people, the immovable stubbornness. Away from the camera, she did not wish to be the Garbo created by the camera, could not be, never was.”
• Robert Taylor: “She thought with her eyes, photographically. The muscles in her face would not move, yet her eyes would express exactly what was needed.”
Despite the many materials this book draws on, it’s still hard to get a picture of who Greta Garbo really was, her character, what drove her to make the choices she made. This isn’t a criticism of the book. The author seems to embrace that very idea. People change, people adjust to circumstances, and we are different things to different people. If you add in an intensely private, perhaps shy personality, perhaps mercurial nature, then the elusiveness to us makes sense, but she is then inevitably less intriguing then we all make her out to be in our minds.
Small irritations:
• It’s a small thing, but heaven save me from men who describe unspecified gynaecological issues as “female organ” problems. Just – ugh.
• I don’t agree with the author’s interpretation of Maugham’s The Painted Veil (the book, not the movie but it becomes unclear to which he is referring so I could be wrong).
• The additional materials – a substantial portion of the book consists of excerpts of others’ writings on Garbo - are a mix of value add and less so. “Garbo in Song” could be interesting if one stumbles across one with which you’re unfamiliar, I suppose?
Best Quotes from the book:
• Simone De Beauvoir: “Garbo’s face had a vague expression onto which you could project anything at all; you can’t project anything onto Bardot’s face. It is what it is.”
• Adela Rogers St. Johns in The Honeycomb: “In personality, her one-hundred-per-sent Swedish reactions were difficult for us to follow, her slow mind, her fear-dislike of people, the immovable stubbornness. Away from the camera, she did not wish to be the Garbo created by the camera, could not be, never was.”
• Robert Taylor: “She thought with her eyes, photographically. The muscles in her face would not move, yet her eyes would express exactly what was needed.”
December 26, 2021
I thought this was a very nicely written biography of the elusive, mysterious Greta Garbo. I was not a huge fan, but this sounded interesting...and it was. It didn't solve the eternal mystery of her, but it did present many different perceptions of her by her contemporaries. Gottlieb devotes the first 300 pages of this (very heavy) book to a standard, linear biography of her, full of photos. This part is divided into different chapters and it flows very well. The many images dispersed throughout these pages aid with telling her story, putting faces to the names.
Then the books switches course into " A Garbo Reader". This part is also divided into short sections that include a hilarious story from Lilli Palmer (married to Rex Harrison at that time) entitled, "Garbo, The Harrisons, and The Windsors". It also includes takes on Garbo such as "Colleagues on Garbo", "Garbo in Books" and "Garbo in Songs". It begins with a lovely collection of studio mages of her taken by noted photographers.
All in all, I found this to be a well-researched, readable biography about the inscrutable cipher of a star known as Greta Garbo.
Then the books switches course into " A Garbo Reader". This part is also divided into short sections that include a hilarious story from Lilli Palmer (married to Rex Harrison at that time) entitled, "Garbo, The Harrisons, and The Windsors". It also includes takes on Garbo such as "Colleagues on Garbo", "Garbo in Books" and "Garbo in Songs". It begins with a lovely collection of studio mages of her taken by noted photographers.
All in all, I found this to be a well-researched, readable biography about the inscrutable cipher of a star known as Greta Garbo.
February 4, 2022
This was a thoroughly enjoyable although far from exhaustive biography of the famed Swedish star. She stirred the hearts of her American fans for about 16 years and then retired without really retiring. Her reclusive ways flavored her entire post-Hollywood life in America where few people seemingly ever got to know her well. I am not sure whether I can generate enough enthusiasm to seek out other works about her - I'm not even sure she would have been a very pleasant person to have as company. I believe the author characterized her well with a statement that she became an American citizen without really becoming American. The fact that it took several years to designate her final resting place, and that it is in Stockholm, Sweden, says much. But she definitely had a presence on the screen. She did a screen test in 1949, well after her 'retirement,' which reveals that she could have had several more years on the screen and just seemed not all that interested.
May 21, 2022
GARBO! I can remember seeing a photo of her when I was young and it stuck in my mind. So yes her FACE. Yes, maybe it is not perfect but it makes you stop and look. This book was unique. It spoke of her films and the last part gave commentary from people in the same era. Famous people who gave their opinion of her. She was SO private we just do not know much about how she was except for "I want to be alone" She was a recluse. Boy I would have loved to spend an afternoon with her because I feel the same way now. I just want to be alone. Just like Garbo. The documentary Garbo shows much more of her life.
The author was very creative in they way he organized this book. Well done. I listened to this on Audible and I listened to the commentary chapter three times. It was so interesting. ***
The author was very creative in they way he organized this book. Well done. I listened to this on Audible and I listened to the commentary chapter three times. It was so interesting. ***
November 27, 2022
„Garbo. Najbardziej tajemnicza gwiazda Hollywood" to biografia jednej z największych gwiazd filmowych. Robert Gottlieb skupia się nie tylko na dzieciństwie, młodości, dorobku filmowym czy ostatnich dniach życia autorki, ale także na problemach, z jakimi się borykała. Drobiazgowo opisuje filmy, w których grała. Nie zabrakło opisów relacji aktorki z producentami, reżyserami czy innymi aktorami. Autor ujawnia fakty niejednokrotnie zaskakujące czy wręcz niewiarygodne, często popiera je fragmentami wypowiedzi osób z bliskiego otoczenia aktorki.
Wyjątkowość tej biografii polega głównie na fantastycznym zobrazowaniu charakteru Grety Garbo. Aktorka była błyskotliwa, pewna siebie, nie bała się niczego i nikogo, wytrwale dążyła do osiągnięcia celu. Warto również nadmienić, że biografia jest pięknie wydana. Liczne zdjęcia uatrakcyjniają całość. Ponadto historia Grety Garbo wydana jest na papierze, którego próżno szukać w innych książkach.
Podsumowując, chociaż książka jest sporych gabarytów, to czyta się ją jednym tchem.
Wyjątkowość tej biografii polega głównie na fantastycznym zobrazowaniu charakteru Grety Garbo. Aktorka była błyskotliwa, pewna siebie, nie bała się niczego i nikogo, wytrwale dążyła do osiągnięcia celu. Warto również nadmienić, że biografia jest pięknie wydana. Liczne zdjęcia uatrakcyjniają całość. Ponadto historia Grety Garbo wydana jest na papierze, którego próżno szukać w innych książkach.
Podsumowując, chociaż książka jest sporych gabarytów, to czyta się ją jednym tchem.
November 13, 2022
Don't skip the book after the book, which is an extended collection of writing from contemporaries of GG. While the book proper tells you everything you might want to know about what Greta did, these letters, articles, quotations, and first-hand accounts (from her interior decorator to names like Noel Coward) give us more insight who she really was, and I found that far more compelling.
As for the cover, I can appreciate the approach of trying to mirror the bold simplicity of headlines like "Garbo Talks" that confidently assumed you already knew and adored her, but the bold title and ultra-tight shot of her iconic eyes lose their shout to a too-big authors name and random black bars. This was so close but not only does it miss the mark it ends up being quite ugly.
As for the cover, I can appreciate the approach of trying to mirror the bold simplicity of headlines like "Garbo Talks" that confidently assumed you already knew and adored her, but the bold title and ultra-tight shot of her iconic eyes lose their shout to a too-big authors name and random black bars. This was so close but not only does it miss the mark it ends up being quite ugly.
February 18, 2022
Biography of Greta Garbo from childhood to death with extensive coverage of her film career along with her struggles to elude the attention of the world when she was probably the most famous woman in the world. Her preference to be alone, her basically self-centered relationship with people in which she came and went as she pleased, took all that her "friends" gave her while not giving anything in return. I did not find her an endearing person.
Of particular interest is the final section of the book ittled "A Garbo Reader," Gottlieb brings together a collection of glimpses of Garbo from other people's memoirs and interviews, literature, songs, cartoons and merchandise.
Of particular interest is the final section of the book ittled "A Garbo Reader," Gottlieb brings together a collection of glimpses of Garbo from other people's memoirs and interviews, literature, songs, cartoons and merchandise.
March 16, 2022
It is rather a mystery why I picked Garbo by Robert Gottlieb to listen to. I had heard of Greta Garbo previously, but I could not name a film she was in. This was one of those times, I wish I could visit with my mom. But after listening to the book, I know a lot more about her life. She led an interesting life. She met a lot of interesting people. And she did some remarkable things. I found the book okay. Not sure I would recommend anyone else to read or listen to this book. But it was okay.
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