Showing posts with label fiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fiction. Show all posts

Saturday, January 13, 2024

Kickstarter for the Louise Brooks - inspired Dixie Dugan novels

I realize this is last minute, but longtime Louise Brooks Society supporter Beth Ann Gallagher just alerted me to an incredible Kickstarter campaign to bring three Louise Brooks-inspired Dixie Dugan novels by J.P. McEvoy back into print. More about this Kickstarter campaign, which runs through January 18th, can be found HERE.

As Brooks' devotees may know, Show Girl was the first novel to feature a major character or story-line inspired by the actress. First serialized in Liberty magazine in 1928 (and quickly published in book form by Simon & Schuster), Show Girl told of the life and adventures of a character named Dixie Dugan. That novel and its two follow-up books, Show Girl in Hollywood and Show Girl in Society, proved especially popular. So much so that they spawned a long-running comic strip which lasted into the 1960s, "Dixie Dugan," as well as a stage play, Show Girl, and two movies which unfortunately did not star Louise Brooks.

Here is a wonderful newspaper ad for the novel's serialization in Liberty magazine, when the visual identity of Dixie Dugan was closely aligned with the look of the actress. (A few of these illustrations, as well as some of the early comic strips, were based on films stills from Brooks' first films, such as The American Venus.)


Nevertheless, I pledged $29.00 toward this worthy campaign, for which I will receive a copy of the book and have my name listed on an acknowledgements page. I already own vintage copies of these books, including one signed by McEvoy, but am looking forward to receiving this omnibus edition. Yowza, yowza, yowza.


Here is some more information about this Kickstarter campaign from it's page.

"Between 1928 and 1932, J. P. McEvoy published six ingenious novels that unfold solely by way of letters, telegrams, newspaper articles, ads, telephone transcriptions, scripts, playbills, greeting card verses, interoffice memos, legal documents, monologues, song lyrics, police reports, and radio broadcasts. Three of them, collected here for the first time, record the wild career of a jazz baby named Dixie Dugan (modeled on actress Louise Brooks, whom McEvoy knew). The best-selling Show Girl tracks Dixie's zigzagging path to success on Broadway; in Hollywood Girl, she heads out West for further risqué adventures, and impulsively marries a rich playboy; in Society, Dixie mingles with high society both in Europe and the U.S. before returning to Hollywood to resume her show-biz career."

"Beneath the novels' hellzapoppin' energy and jazzy lingo, however, McEvoy exposes the dark underside of the times: sexual predation, tabloid journalism, political corruption, the rise of religious fundamentalism, and the fatuous lifestyles of the rich and famous. But it's the blend of humor and bite, of success and failure, of ridicule and irony—shaken and stirred with linguistic and formal ingenuity—that makes The Dixie Dugan Trilogy "a madcap, mordant masterpiece," as critic Steven Moore writes in his informative introduction. Out of print since the 1930s, these "avant-pop" novels deserve a revival."


 THE LEGAL STUFF: The Louise Brooks Society™ blog is authored by Thomas Gladysz, Director of the Louise Brooks Society  (www.pandorasbox.com). Original contents copyright © 2024. Further unauthorized use prohibited. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Monday, December 5, 2022

An Interview with Alexandre Lobao about his Louise Brooks story, A Caixa de Pandora

Back in 2000, the Brazilian writer Alexandre Lobão published one of the earlier works of fiction to include Louise Brooks. His book was titled A Caixa de Pandora (Pandora's Box and other stories). I remember hearing about it sometime around then, and even obtaining a pdf copy of the Portuguese-language book. I never had the chance to really connect with the author until recently, when we "ran into one another" in Instagram. I sent Alexandre, who is now a successful author, a message asking if he might answer a few questions about A Caixa de Pandora, his first book. He agreed.

 The 2000 edition                          The Author - Alexandre Lobão                        The 2015 edition     

Louise Brooks Society: Your first book, A Caixa de Pandora (Pandora's Box and other stories), is a collection of stories; it was first published in Brazil in 2000, and has been described as a work of "fantastic reality." What would you like readers to know about it?

Alexandre Lobão:
This book has ten short stories, and it’s still being published nowadays, 22 years later - which is unusual, at least in Brazil. Most of the stories have some kind of fantastic or magical element. The main (and longest) story, “Pandora’s Box,” is about a writer who is researching Louise Brooks in order to write a book, and every new piece of information he gets about her, he finds her more and more appealing, until the point that he realizes he is in love with her. Knowing that there is little more information about her, after all the research he did, he becomes more and more uneasy, lonely and abandoned, until he goes one last time to the local university library to see if he can uncover anything else. At the library he experiences a strange moment, a dream that leads him to a small recess he never saw in the library, an old video cassette library where he finds some tapes about Louise. To his surprise, he discovers that the tapes are not movies, but instead they allow him, for a limited time, to talk with Louise Brooks using his TV.  It’s a blessing, but also a curse, because he has only a few hours to talk to her. In the end (which was a surprise even for me, when I first wrote) he manages to help Louise and help himself to go on with their lives, leaving the past behind and knowing that each other are fine.

Louise Brooks Society: When and how did you first discover Louise Brooks?

Alexandre Lobão: I first saw Louise in the video clip of the O.M.D. (Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark) song “Pandora’s Box.” I was in my twenties, in a train station during my first trip around Europe, and was mesmerized by her appearances in the video.

Louise Brooks Society: In the title story, you appear as a character in love with Louise Brooks. The narrator details your encounters with the actress. What lead you to write this story? Were you inspired by any other story or writer?

Alexandre Lobão:  After 25 published books, “Pandora’s Box” is still the story that most resonates with me. When I returned to Brazil after my trip, I started to look for information about her (which was rather difficult, because there are no internet back in 1991) out of curiosity. I started then to hunt around in libraries, and discover that Louise was also inspiration for the Dixie Dugan comic strip (1929, by J. P. McEvoy) and other works beyond the movies, and after some research the idea of writing a book about a writer that researches & searches for her came to me. By then, I was only published in magazines and short story collections; “Pandora’s box” was my first short novel (60 pages). The inspiration of it was only Louise and my own journey in discovering how amazing she was.

Louise Brooks Society: Is Louise Brooks very well known in Brazil?

Alexandre Lobão:  Not really. I found some people that know her, some that love her, but she’s not a pop culture icon here – although many people would recognize her bob hair style.

Louise Brooks Society:
What does she mean to you as an actress, or as a person?

Alexandre Lobão: Tough question! When I first found out about her, I fall in love as we usually do, loving not the real person, but the idealized person we have in our minds. After a while, I knew her flaws, her problems, the details that are not so lovable; but I still love her as a person. Nowadays my feelings for her are more like an old passion that, after the right time, became more like an ember that never fades away than a huge fire that burns bright and ends fast. I love seeing her movies, of course; I believe she was the greatest artist of her time, although she unfortunately hasn’t followed the evolution of the movies industry and language.

Louise Brooks Society:
You have written fiction, as well as books for young readers, comics, and screenplays. You have written in may genre's. How can someone find out more? 

Alexandre Lobão: All my books and movie scripts and comics are on my web site, www.AlexandreLobao.com. I have some works published in English and Chinese, but only technical stuff – the rights for publishing my fiction works on other countries are currently available. 😉

* * * * * 

Pandora's Box and other stories is a book of short stories with varied themes, mostly containing fantastic elements. The tales present stories that take place in different times and places, in Brazil and abroad, from the past to the future, and have a common point in a personal, intimate view of each story, making the reader feel as if they were listening to a friend's story, the kind friends share around a campfire, when the lack of television increases interaction between people. The last story, “Plain”, subtly creates a link between all the stories, where the character has visions about situations that happen in several other stories in the book. More about Caixa de Pandora (Pandora's Box and other stories) can be found on the authors website. 

The Louise Brooks Society blog is authored by Thomas Gladysz, Director of the Louise Brooks Society. (www.pandorasbox.com). Original contents copyright © 2022. Further unauthorized use prohibited.

Friday, September 9, 2022

Louise Brooks, the still silent muse

Louise Brooks is having a moment.... Just recently, the New Yorker magazine reprinted Kenneth Tynan's 1979 profile of the actress, "Louise Brooks Tells All," in its August 29, 2022 issue. That recent issue celebrated great magazine profiles from the past. Tynan's rightly celebrated piece certainly fits the bill. (Also included in the August 29th  issue was a piece by Hilton Als, who profiled Missy Eliot. Als, I should note, wrote about Brooks in his 2013 book, White Girls.)


Louise Brooks is also included in the most recent issue of FICTION magazine, a literary journal issued by the City College of New York. Issue number 65 includes an excerpt from Jerome Charyn's new novel, Lulu in Love. I have read the entire work manuscript, and am looking forward to the day when it is published. In the meantime, Charyn's new piece is, as of now, only available in print.

Adjunct to Charyn's piece, I was asked to write a piece noting some of the other instances in which Louise Brooks shows up in fiction, the genre, not the journal. I contributed "Louise Brooks: Silent Muse," which can be read online. It explores how Charyn, Adolfo Bioy Casares, Willem Frederik Hermans, Ali Smith and other authors have employed the actress in their fiction. I hope everyone takes a few minutes to read my piece. And while you are at it, because I know you will want to, be sure and read Tynan's and Charyn's pieces, if you haven't already done so. Be included in the smart set.

This blog is authored by Thomas Gladysz, Director of the Louise Brooks Society (www.pandorasbox.com). Original contents copyright © 2022. Further use prohibited.

Monday, November 2, 2020

New Louise Brooks novel released in Switzerland

French writer Daniel Bernard emailed me to let me know about his new novel, Un dernier Charleston, Louise (One last Charleston, Louise), which has just been published in France Switzerland by Editions Lemart. Here is the front and back cover.


And here is something the author sent me about the book:

"The novel begins in 1957 at Idlewild Airport in New-York. Two women meet as they have accompanied someone to the plane going to Europe. Suddenly, they begin to talk to one another. “I’m Louise, says a brunette, the Louise Brooks!” Angela, the other woman answers: “I’m Angela, please to meet you!”

Then begins this imaginary story about the well-known star, Louise Brooks, and diverse characters: Angela, who is a German immigrant, Helmut, a former assistant to Pabst, the director of Pandora’s Box, and perhaps a lover, and a few others.

Through chapters that are written a bit like film scripts, with a lot of dialogues, we go back to 1928, as Louise was in Berlin, for the shooting of her famous one and only masterpiece, Pandora’s Box, by Pabst, to 1937, as Angela meets Leni Riefenstahl in Minister Speer’s office, in the 50’s in Paris, when Henri Langlois calls Louise back to Europe discovering the fallen and forgotten star, and many other situations.

The plot mixes true events and fully delusive moments that attempt to depict Louise’s personality, if she ever would act that way, with a tender and gentle look. Illusion, images, life, sexuality and the German period of the late 20’s, that Louise had just seen in Berlin are the background, and New York.

The novel contains a great quantity of dialogue, concerning a star of the silent movies, which is stunning. You read it as if you were a witness, hidden somewhere in the scenes surrounding the actors of he novel. At times, hints on the story of cinema art, that has changed the world until now, tells you details and/or facts that a few are aware of. In the background, a drama, well described, in a parallel montage effect, which is a justification if not an explanation of the whole plot: there is no witness of this story written by a true connoisseur."


Saturday, June 27, 2020

Louise Brooks - Two Parallel Lives by Laura Scaramozzino

I just became aware of a new book, Louise Brooks. Due vite Parallele (Louise Brooks: Two Parallel Lives) by Laura Scaramozzino. From what I can tell, it's an Italian noir fantasy novel in which features a character named Louise Brooks. 

The publisher's description reads: "Louise Brooks è una giovane attrice. Vive a Hollywood ed è un'esponente del Nuovo Cinema Impulsoriale: un'elaborazione moderna del cinema muto del passato. Dopo una notte trascorsa in compagnia della collega Greta, riceve sul cellulare un messaggio inquietante: Edmond J. Lermann è morto. La ragazza non conosce nessuno con quel nome e quando prova a risalire al mittente del messaggio fallisce nell'intento. Grazie a Internet, Louise scopre che l'uomo esiste ed è morto davvero, ucciso con un colpo di pistola a Torino, in Italia, e che era originario della sua cittadina natale: Cherryvalle nel Kansas. Inizia così un'avventura in cui la giovane attrice si trova costretta a fare i conti con il proprio passato. C'è una voce che la perseguita da quando aveva otto anni. Una minaccia che non l'ha mai abbandonata e recita: 'Questa bambina è mia'."

Which in rough translation reads: "Louise Brooks is a young actress. She lives in Hollywood and is an exponent of the New Impulsive Cinema: a modern elaboration of the silent cinema of the past. After a night spent in the company of her colleague Greta, she receives a disturbing message on his cell phone: Edmond J. Lermann is dead. The girl does not know anyone with that name and when she tries to trace the sender of the message she fails. Thanks to the Internet, Louise discovers that the man exists and really died, killed with a gunshot in Turin, Italy, and that he was originally from his hometown: Cherryvalle, Kansas. Thus began an adventure in which the young actress is forced to deal with her past. There is a rumor that has haunted her since she was eight years old. A threat that has never left her and says: 'This girl is mine'."

Apparently, the novel - which is something of a genre bender - has a contemporary setting, and in it silent films are still being made, though with contemporary methods. The book is being described as a noir thriller with elements of science fiction and fantasy. However, the fact that the novel's character is an actress named Louise Brooks, and she has a connection to Cherryvale (including an incident of sexual abuse), links the book to the historic silent film star.

image via Facebook
I don't know much about the author, Laura Scaramozzino. As best as I can figure, she has two other Italian books to her credit, including Screaming Dora (2019), which was published by Watson, the same publisher as Louise Brooks: Two Parallel Lives. I sent her an email with a few questions, but have yet to hear back.... I hope the book gets translated into English, as I would like to read it. There is an air of mystery about it that seems intriguing. An Italian-language review of the book, by Fabio Orrico, can be found HERE. Orrico concludes his review by stating, "Laura Scaramozzino, in a span of just over a hundred pages, links stories and history, realism and fantasy, elaboration of mourning and revenge." (This might make for a good Quentin Tarantino film.)

Tuesday, October 11, 2016

New historical crime thriller BABYLON BERLIN has Louise Brooks on the cover

A recently published historical crime thriller has come to my attention. It is titled Babylon Berlin, and its by Volker Kutscher. (The book was published in May by Sandstone Press.) And, it features Louise Brooks on the cover. I haven't had a chance to get a hold of a copy, and don't know if Brooks figures in the story, but here's a little about the book. From what I gather, the series is to be filmed for  television in England, Germany and possibly elsewhere.


From the publisher: "Berlin, 1929. Detective Inspector Rath, was a successful career officer in the Cologne Homicide Division before a shooting incident in which he inadvertently killed a man. He has been transferred to the Vice Squad in Berlin, a job he detests, even though he finds a new friend in his boss, Chief Inspector Wolter. There is seething unrest in the city and the Commissioner of Police has ordered the Vice Squad to ruthlessly enforce the ban on May Day demonstrations. The result is catastrophic with many dead and injured, and a state of emergency is declared in the Communist strongholds of the city. When a car is hauled out of Berlin's Landwehr Canal with a mutilated corpse inside the Commissioner decides to use this mystery to divert the attention of press and public from the casualties of the demonstrations. The biggest problem is that the corpse cannot be identified."

About the author: "Volker Kutscher was born in 1962. He studied German, Philosophy and History, and worked as a newspaper editor prior to writing his first detective novel. Babylon Berlin, the start of an award-winning series of novels to feature Gereon Rath and his exploits in late Weimar Republic Berlin, was an instant hit in Germany. Since then, a further four titles have appeared, most recently Märzgefallene in 2014. The series was awarded the Berlin Krimi-Fuchs Crime Writers Prize in 2011 and has sold over one million copies worldwide. Volker Kutscher works as a full-time author and lives in Cologne. " Read an interview with the author HERE.



And some reviews of Babylon Berlin:

"Babylon Berlin is a stunning novel that superbly evokes Twenties Germany in its seedy splendor. An impressive new crime series." - Sarah Ward, author of In Bitter Chill


"Kutscher successfully conjures up the dangerous decadence of the Weimar years, with blood on the Berlin streets and the Nazis lurking menacingly in the wings." - Sunday Times

"Gripping evocative thriller set in Berlin's seedy underworld during the roaring Twenties. A massive hit in its native Germany, Volker Kutscher's series, centered on Detective Inspector Gereon Rath, is currently being filmed for television." - Mail on Sunday

"The best German crime novel of the year!' - Bucher

"Kutscher's undertaking to portray the downfall of the Weimar Republic through the medium of detective fiction is both ambitious and utterly convincing. Let's hope it receives the attention it deserves." - Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung

"With his detective novel Babylon Berlin, Volker Kutscher has succeeded in creating an opulent portrait of manners." - Der Spiegel

"Has all the allure of an addictive drug: you won't be able to put it down until you've read to the end." Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung

"A highly readable piece of crime fiction set against a politico-historical background." -  Osterreichischer Rundfunk

Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Louise Brooks and New Confessions, by William Boyd

Another novel which features the iconic image of a dreaming Louise Brooks sitting in a chair with books scattered on the floor about her is William Boyd's The New Confessions. First published in 1987, the edition pictured here was issued by Penguin in the UK in 2010.

According to the publisher, "In this extraordinary novel, William Boyd presents the autobiography of John James Todd, whose uncanny and exhilarating life as one of the most unappreciated geniuses of the twentieth century is equal parts Laurence Stern, Charles Dickens, Robertson Davies, and Saul Bellow, and a hundred percent William Boyd.

From his birth in 1899, Todd was doomed. Emerging from his angst-filled childhood, he rushes into the throes of the twentieth century on the Western Front during the Great War, and quickly changes his role on the battlefield from cannon fodder to cameraman. When he becomes a prisoner of war, he discovers Rousseau's Confessions, and dedicates his life to bringing the memoir to the silver screen. Plagued by bad luck and blind ambition, Todd becomes a celebrated London upstart, a Weimar luminary, and finally a disgruntled director of cowboy movies and the eleventh member of the Hollywood Ten. Ambitious and entertaining, Boyd has invented a most irresistible hero."

I haven't yet read this book, but according to a friend as well as various reviewers, a Louise Brooks-like character also figures in the story. Have you read this book?

William Boyd is the author of ten novels, including A Good Man in Africa, winner of the Whitbread Award and the Somerset Maugham Award; An Ice-Cream War, winner of the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize and shortlisted for the Booker Prize; Brazzaville Beach, winner of the James Tait Black Memorial Prize; Any Human Heart, winner of the Prix Jean Monnet; and Restless, winner of the Costa Novel of the Year.

Monday, February 29, 2016

Louise Brooks and The Invention of Morel, by Adolpho Bioy Casares

Brooks’ appearance on the cover of this popular
2003 edition of The Invention of Morel was inspired
by this webpage, which dates to the late 1990s.
Before publication, the publisher contacted the
LBS regarding the actress and the use of an image.
After publication, a stream of articles noting
the connection between the novel and
the film star began to appear.
Back in 1997 or so, I ran across a tantalizing review of Adolfo Bioy Casares’ memoirs, Memorias: Infancia, adolescencia y como se hace un escrito. In a short write-up, a scholar mentioned the Argentine author’s affection for Louise Brooks. This excited me, as I had been aware of Bioy Casares and his work through his friendship with Jorge Luis Borges, a favorite author. Always on the look-out for references to Brooks, my favorite film star, I set to find out more; I couldn’t imagine how these two interests could be linked.

What I found, remarkably, is that Louise Brooks stands at the heart of one of the most important works of 20th century literature. The Invention of Morel is not only an oblique homage to the actress, a small town girl, but also a means to preserve, in writing, the memory of a writer’s desire for an elusive star.

Today, Adolpho Bioy Casares (1914 – 1999) is considered one of the great authors of the 20th century. In fact, he is thought by some to be a near equal of his great friend and sometime collaborator Jorge Luis Borges. Bioy Casares authored short stories as well as novels, including A Plan for Escape (1945), The Dream of Heroes (1954), Diary of the War of the Pig (1969), and Asleep in the Sun (1978), each of which have been translated and published in English. Bioy Casares also collaborated with Borges on the seminal Anthology of Fantastic Literature, as well as a series of satirical sketches and detective stories written under the pseudonym H. Bustos Domecq. Late in his career, Bioy won several important awards including the Gran Premio de Honor of SADE (awarded in 1975 by the Argentine Society of Writers), the French Legion of Honor (awarded in 1981), and the Miguel de Cervantes Prize (awarded in 1991).

Bioy Casares is best known for his 1940 novella, La invención de Morel (The Invention of Morel). It has been described variously, as both a stoic love story and a metaphysical mystery. It tells of a man who, evading justice, escapes to a mysterious island. A group of travelers arrive, and the fugitive’s fear of being discovered means he must keep his distance from one of the travelers, a woman named Faustine, with whom he falls in love. The fugitive desires to tell her his feelings, but an anomalous phenomenon makes their meeting impossible. Struggling to understand why everything seems to repeat, the fugitive realizes that the people he sees on the island are nothing more than recordings made with a special machine invented by a scientific genius named Morel; this machine is able to project not only three-dimensional images, but also voices and scents, making everything indistinguishable from reality. In fact, the fugitive is the only real person on the island.

The Invention of Morel has been adopted by reading groups
and in college classrooms.
One recent review noted, “Though it was published in 1940, the book’s continuing relevance was recently proven when it was featured on Lost — a cameo many viewers perceive as a key to that TV show’s plot. Just know that Morel is a poetic evocation of the experience of love, an inquiry into how we know one another, and a still-relevant examination of how technology has changed our relationship with reality.”

The Invention of Morel mixes realism and metaphysical fantasy with elements of science fiction and the Gothic to create what is widely considered the first work of “magical realism.” It prefigured the boom in Latin American literature, and proved to be Bioy Casares’ breakthrough effort when it won the First Municipal Prize for Literature of the City of Buenos Aires in 1941. Despite it being his seventh book, Bioy Casares considered The Invention of Morel to mark the beginning of his career as a writer.

Borges wrote a prologue to the The Invention of Morel in which he placed the book alongside Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw and Franz Kafka’s The Trial as examples of works with “admirable plots.” Borges also termed it a work of “reasoned imagination,” linking it to the philosophical romances of H. G. Wells, notably through its title, which alludes to The Island of Doctor Moreau.
In his prologue, Borges also stated “I have discussed with the author the details of his plot; I have reread it; it seems to me neither imprecise nor hyperbolic to classify it as perfect.” The Mexican Nobel Prize winning poet Octavio Paz echoed Borges’ assessment, “The Invention of Morel may be described, without exaggeration, as a perfect novel.” Other well known Latin American writers also expressed their admiration for the book, among them the Colombian Nobel Prize winner Gabriel García Márquez, the Argentine writer Julio Cortázar, the Cuban writer Alejo Carpentier, and Uruguayan novelist Juan Carlos Onetti.

The first edition of La invención de Morel featured cover art and interior illustrations by Norah Borges de Torre, sister of Jorge. Call me crazy, but I think it significant that Faustine is depicted with short bobbed hair not unlike the trademark style worn by Louise Brooks.


In his memoirs, Bioy Casares wrote of his disillusionment over the decline of the screen career of one of his favorite actresses, Louise Brooks. After Memorias was published, the book and the passage on Brooks was called to the attention the Argentinian magazine Film. In their July, 1995 issue, Fernando Martin Peña and Sergio Wolf published an interview with Bioy Casares in which he expanded upon some of the points he made in his memoirs. What follows is an excerpt (in translation) from the 1995 interview.

QUESTION: You said that the inspiration for La invención de Morel came to you, at least partially, from the vanishing of Louise Brooks from the movies. What happened with you and Louise Brooks?

ADOLFO BIOY CASARES: I was deeply in love with her. I didn’t have any luck, because she disappeared quickly. She went to Europe, she made a film with Pabst, and then I didn’t like her so much as when she was in Hollywood. And then, she vanished too early from the movies.

QUESTION: Could she be seen as one of the characters in La invención de Morel?

ADOLFO BIOY CASARES: Yes, she would be Faustine.

QUESTION: It’s funny, because everybody falls in love with Louise Brooks through her German films.

ADOLFO BIOY CASARES: Well, I didn’t.

Bioy Casares loved film, and once wrote, “I want to wait for the end of the world on the seat of a movie theater.” Bioy Casares also loved the stars of his youth, and named names. In the above mentioned interview, Bioy Casares goes on to say that when he was young he went to the movies all the time, and also had a liking for Marion Davies and Anna May Wong. He also liked Garbo, though only in the light-hearted Ninotchka. Bioy Casares didn’t care for horror films, though he mentions in the interview that Borges was a big fan of The Bride of Frankenstein. I wonder if Bioy Casares would have liked that film more had director James Whale cast Brooks, his first choice, in the role of the bride, instead of Elsa Lanchester.

Here is the passage from Bioy Casares memoirs in which he discusses Brooks and his love of early film.

Progresivamente me aficioné a las películas, me convertí en espectador asiduo y ahora pienso que la sala de un cinematógrafo es el lugar que yo elegiría para esperar el fin del mundo.
Me enamoré, simultánea o sucesivamente, de las actrices de cine Louise Brooks, Marie Prévost, Dorothy Mackay, Marion Davis, Evelyn Brent y Anna May Wong.

De estos amores imposibles, el que tuve por Louise Brooks fue el más v ivo, el mas desdichado. ¡Me disgustaba tanto creer que nunca la conoscería! Peor aún, que nunca volvería a verla. Esto, precisamente, fue lo que sucedió. Despuesde tres o cuatros películas, en que la vi embeselado, Louise Brooks desapareció de las pantallas de Buenos Aires. Sentí esa desaparición, primero, como un desgarriamento; después, como una derrota personal. Debía admitir que si Louise Brooks hubiera gustado al público, no hubiera desaparecido. La verdad (o lo que yo sentía) es que no sólo pasó inadvertida por el gran público, sino también por las personas que yo conocía. Si concedían que era linda – más bien ‘bonitilla’ – , lamentaban que fuera mala actriz; si encontraban que era una actriz inteligente, lamentaban que no fuera más bella. Como ante la derrota de Firpo, comprobé que la realidad y yo no estábamos de acuerdo.

Muchos años despés, en París, vi una película (creo que de Jessua) en que el héroe, como yo (cuando estaba por escribir Corazón de payaso, uno de mis primeros intentos literarios), inconteniblemente echaba todo a la broma y, de ese modo, se hacía odiar por la mujer querida. El personaje tenía otro parecido conmigo: admiraba a Louise Brooks. Desde entonces, en mi país y en otros, encuentro continuas pruebas de esa admiración, y también pruebas que la actriz la merecía. En el New Yorker y en los Cahiers du cinéma leí articulos sobre ella, admirativos e inteligentes. Leí, asimismo, Lulú en Hollywood, un divertido libro de recuerdos, escrito por Louise Brooks.

En el 73 o en el 75, mi amigo Edgardo Cozarinsky me cito una tarde en un cafe de la Place de L’Alma, en Paris, para que conociera a una muchacha que haria el papel de Louise Brooks en un filme en preparacion. Yo era el experto que debia decirle si la muchacha era aceptable o no para el papel. Le dije que si, no solamente para ayudar a la posible actriz. Es claro que si me huberian hecho la pregunta en tiempos de mi angustiosa pasion, quiza la respuesta hubiera sido distinta. Para me, entonces, nadie se parecia a Louise Brooks.

With the help of the web and an Argentine friend, I have attempted a translation of the above passage and have come up with something inelegant, but still interesting. If you are able to provide a better translation, please contact the Louise Brooks Society.

Over time, I fell in love with movies, I became a regular viewer and now I think I want to wait for the end of the world on the seat of a movie theater..

I fell in love, simultaneously or successively, with the film actresses Louise Brooks, Marie Prevost, Dorothy Mackaill, Marion Davies, Evelyn Brent and Anna May Wong.
Of these impossible loves, I was most passionate about Louise Brooks, and it made me miserable. I hated that I could never know her! Worse, one never saw her again. This is exactly what happened. After three or four movies, I was spellbound, and Louise Brooks disappeared from the screens of Buenos Aires. I felt that disappearance, first, as a tearful break; then as a personal loss. Had she been better liked by the public, I feel Louise Brooks would not have disappeared. The truth (or what I felt) is that she was little known to the public, and also to people I knew. Granted she was cute – rather ‘pretty’ – though others complained she was a bad actress; if they found her a clever actress, they regretted that she was not more beautiful. Just like before the defeat of Firpo [the Argentine boxer who lost to Jack Dempsey], I proved that reality and me disagreed.

Many years later in Paris, I saw a movie (I think by [Alain] Jessua) in which the hero, like me (when I was wrote Heart of a Clown, one of my first literary attempts), took everything as a joke and consequently was hated by the woman he loved. That character, like me, admired Louise Brooks. Lately, here in Argentina and elsewhere, there is a renewed assessment and growing admiration for the actress, which is deserved. I read admiring and intelligent articles about her in the New Yorker and the Cahiers du Cinéma. I also read Lulu in Hollywood, a diverting memoir, written by Louise Brooks.

In 73 or 75, my friend Edgardo Cozarinsky asked me one afternoon in a cafe in the Place de l’Alma in Paris if I know a girl who would play Louise Brooks in a film which was in preparation. I was the expert who was to say if the girl was acceptable or not for the role. I said yes, not only to help the possible actress. Clearly, if I had been asked the question during my anguished passion, perhaps the answer would have been different. To me, no one seemed to be Louise Brooks.

In the passage above, Bioy Casares seems to suggest that he tried to write a short story called, “Heart of a Clown,” featuring a character like himself similarly in love with Brooks. However, I am told it is not so. Reportedly, Bioy Casares tried to write such a story to impress someone when he was young, but only got as far as an idea and a title. . . . I don’t know what became of the proposed film featuring a Brooks-like character mentioned in the last paragraph. Bioy Casares’ friend, Edgardo Cozarinsky, is no doubt a kindred soul. In 1994 he completed the documentary, Citizen Langlois, about the famous film archivist and key figure in Brooks’ life.

Boiy Casares’ book was made into a French movie called L’invention de Morel (1967), and an Italian movie called L’invenzione di Morel (1974). Faustine was played by Anna Karina in the latter. Sometime in the late 1980s or early 1990’s, the Quay Brothers also hoped to turn Boiy Casares’ book into a film, but were unsuccessful in their pursuit of the rights.

It is thought, by some, that Bioy Casares’ book inspired Alain Resnais’ sur-real film Last Year At Marienbad (1961), which was adopted for the screen by the French novelist Alain Robbe-Grillet. The case for lineage is loosely made by Thomas Beltzer in his essay, “Last Year at Marienbad: An Intertextual Meditation.” Beltzer’s argument largely hinges on information found on a later-day dust jacket for Boiy Casares’ A Plan for Escape. Beltzer’s case is called into question (though not entirely refuted) by Dan DeWeese in his essay, “The Invention of Marienbad.” Both pieces are worth reading.

What is known is that Bioy Casares’ The Invention of Morel echoes through the television series Lost (2004 – 2010). The popular and critically acclaimed show follows the survivors of a passenger jet crash on a mysterious tropical island somewhere in the South Pacific. Like The Invention of Morel, the show contains science fiction and supernatural elements while messing with perceived reality. During season four, one of the show’s main characters is seen reading the 2003 NYRB edition of The Invention of Morel (shown below).

Things get meta: Sawyer reads The
Invention of Morel
on an episode
of the TV series Lost.
Thanks to Argentians Diego Curubeto and Erica Füsstinn for supplying and translating some of the information found on this page.

FOR FURTHER READING:

Memorias: Infancia, adolescencia y como se hace un escritor,” by Melvin S. Arrington Jr. World Literature Today, Winter, 1995.
— the review of Bioy Casares memoirs that brought to light the author’s fondness for Brooks

Last Year at Marienbad: An Intertextual Meditation,” by Thomas Beltzer. Senses of Cinema, November 2000.

— essay that builds the case for the influence of The Invention of Morel on Last Year at Marienbad

The Invention of Morel, Reading Group Guide.” New York Review Books, 2003.
— a concise summary on the novella, with study questions

Interview with the Brothers Quay.” Electric Sheep. March 4, 2007.
— Quay Brothers discuss their 2005 film The Piano Tuner of Earthquakes and it’s relationship to The Invention of Morel

A Different Stripe: Playing in Peoria: The Invention of Morel.” Typepad, August 10, 2007.
— NYRB blog post

The Invention of Morel,” in The Facts on File Companion to the World Novel: 1900 to the Present, by Michael Sollars. Facts on File, 2008.
— analysis of the Bioy Casares novel

The Invention of Marienbad,” by Dan DeWeese. Propeller Magazine, February, 2014.
— calls into question the linking of The Invention of Morel and Last Year at Marienbad

Time and the Image: The Piano Tuner of Earthquakes,” by Arturo Silva. Bright Lights Film Journal, January 28, 2016.
— analysis of the Quay Brothers’ The Piano Tuner of Earthquakes, with a look at it’s relationship to The Invention of Morel

Friday, December 18, 2015

Diamond, a work of historical fiction with a Louise Brooks cover

How I missed this I don't know, but one year ago today a work of historical fiction was published which featured Louise Brooks on the cover. The book is Diamond, by Cynthia L. Jordan. It is from Emerald Eagle Publishing (self-published?). The book seems to be a follow up, as it were, to Jordan's earlier work, Pearl, from 2013.

Here is the book's description from amazon.com: "Corsets are out. Freedom is in. The 20's are ROARING! Movies are silent and Hollywood is shaping American culture. From coast to coast young girls like Heather Smith dream of becoming a movie star. One day two men shooting a western film near San ANgelo, Texas come to Pearl's Parlor for some fun. Is this Heather's big chance? Wyatt Earp, Mae West, John Wayne, Charlie Chaplin, Louise Brooks, Barbara Stanwyck...their stories will astound you. DIAMOND reminds us that when we remove the glitzy glamour, smoke and mirrors it is our human nature and the need to be loved that makes us all the same. PROLOGUE Ever since she was a little girl, Heather had dreamed of being an actress. While growing up in Illinois, the porch of the farmhouse had served as her stage, and her younger siblings, dolls and pets were her audience. Heather had spent all morning preparing for this interview. After examining herself carefully in the mirror, and after trying on seven different outfits, she had finally decided the royal blue was best. Simple and elegant, the dress showed off Heather’s trim waistline, as well as the fact that this homegrown farm girl was a lady with class. “I believe there must be some mistake. I was told this was an interview to set up a screen test for a part in the new western movie, Rio Concho. I am an actress and I also sing.” “Listen, Sweetheart…if you wanna play in the big leagues, you gotta play by the rules! Now take your clothes off!” Leaning forward, the man rested his elbows on the large oak desk standing between him and his newest conquest. He knew she wanted to be a star. They all did. His eyes glared at Heather’s breasts with appreciation and desire as he chewed on his smelly, unlit cigar. “Oh…I see,” Heather affirmed. “May
I please sit down for a minute, Mister Stein?” “Ok, but just for a minute. I am a very busy man.” Heather had heard the Hollywood stories of casting couches and girls being put in compromising situations. She had rehearsed this scene for months. Looking down at her soft white hands gently folded on her lap, Heather slowly bit her bottom lip. After a moment, she dramatically looked straight into the eyes of a man who had the power to make her dreams come true. With full confidence in her ability to charm, Heather smiled. Locking the man into her hypnotic gaze, she spoke slowly and deliberately. “So this is business? What are your terms? What do I get when I take off my clothes?” The man folded his arms and leaned back in his chair. “It depends on how friendly you want to be,” he smirked, licking his fat lips. The man’s lines had been predictable and Heather was more than ready to perform her part. Heather made her eyes big. “Don’t you want me to read for you or sing you a song?” she asked with profound innocence. “Take your clothes off, Missy. We’ll start there.” “Will you guarantee I get a part? If this is business…” “I can make you a star, Sweetheart!” For a long moment Heather stared at the man behind the desk. A woman with experience, she was a master at reading a man and knowing his deepest desires. Coyly, Heather grinned and began speaking seductively in a slow, sultry voice. “All right then, Mr. Stein. Today is your lucky day. I brought a girlfriend with me. Ginger wants to be in the movies too. Can I ask her to join us? Ginger can be extremely friendly. In fact together we can give you quite a show! She is waiting for me just outside the door.” The man quickly laid down his slimy cigar. “Yes in-deedy! Invite her in!” “I’ll be right back,” Heather smiled."




About the author (also via amazon.com): Cynthia believes every woman is like a precious pearl that deserves to be respected, appreciated and loved. Growing up in Redondo Beach, California the ocean was her playground and playing music was her passion. A classically trained pianist, Cynthia wrote the 1983 country song of the year, JOSE CUERVO and went on to compose beautiful piano CDs for Page Music in Nashville. BUTTERFLY MOMENTS is her autobiography. In doing research for her new musical PEARL, Cynthia uncovered astounding facts about women in history and found a new passion in writing historical novels to tell their stories. Ada and Minna Everleigh, Mae West, Suzy Poontang, Emily Morgan, Pearl DeVere, and Louise Brooks are just some of the characters in her historical fictions she calls the GEM SERIES. Her books are "real page turners" full of history, humor and deep sentiment. "In understanding our human nature we learn that each one of us is equally the same with the potential to live their life in bliss."

Friday, September 18, 2015

Excerpt from the Louise Brooks inspired Roaring Road novels by Johann M.C. Laesecke

What follows is a brief excerpt from chapter 26 of the Louise Brooks-inspired novel The Roaring Road: Book 2 The Road East. According to author Johann M.C. Laesecke, "There are things not evident in this excerpt, including a description of how Louise transfers the derringer to Laure. Too much of a spoiler. But the excerpt is a good example of one of Louise's actions in The Roaring Road."

For more on this work of historical fiction, check out the interview with the author on the Louise Brooks Society blog from September 8th.

------ 

“Who do we have watching the Crawford Theater tonight in case any of Pádraigh or any of his people show up?”

“We have not assigned that. Although it’s unlikely they show, we should have someone there who can think fast and call for backup. Someone that Laure, Frank and Buster would recognize, but who is not known to Pádraigh” Dawn said.

“I’ll watch the Crawford” and we all turned in surprise to Louise Brooks. She was in the meeting because she wanted to make sure we would get Buster out soon.

Bill said “Everyone would recognize you Louise, even some of Pádraigh’s gunmen.”

“And what if they do? You guys haven’t let me outside except when I go in disguise. And they don’t know I’m with you guys. My father moved us to Wichita and I went to high school here. I’m well known in Wichita so tonight I can play Louise Brooks, lost little girl from Kansas, an ex-Denishawn, ex-George White’s Scandals and ex-Ziegfeld Follies dancer and now one of Paramount’s new Junior Stars. I danced at the Crawford Theater when I was with Denishawn so it would be natural for me to attend their performance. I can move about the place and no one would be suspicious. I know all the back rooms and hallways and even the basement hidey-hole. It was put there by one of the builders who was also a rumrunner. Montgomery County was dry a long time before Prohibition and I dated guys who knew how to move contraband here.”

“I would like to see the latest Denishawn players and dance routines and the Pádraigh guys probably won’t show up, but if they do I can sneak out to the drugstore around the corner where they have public telephone booths and call you. The best case would be if Buster or Laure or Frank show up so I could pass a message or something.” Louise looked at me and I could tell she was serious. While she was not an experienced operative she was very smart, not a coward, could think on her toes and she was a natural actress. After a short discussion everyone agreed and I asked Louise if she would agree to try to pass Laure’s derringer to her if she was there. It would be dangerous and have to be done with the utmost subtlety so when she agreed I told her to talk to Dawn and Meghan before she went to the Crawford Theater.

After the meeting Louise stopped by to see Dawn and Meghan, who gave Louise a small cloth bag. It was heavy, as if it had a metal object in it. “It’s a derringer, a very small handgun that Laure requested.”

“I’ve shot guns and I know what a derringer is. How do I give it to Laure?” asked Louise.

“There’s no way to plan that because we don’t know if she is really going to be there and how many men will be watching her if she is. You must get it to her without anyone knowing, without any suspicion. If nothing else, try to give it to Buster or Frank. If they are there but if it doesn’t look possible to transfer the gun, call Meghan at this telephone number. Memorize the telephone number so if you’re caught they won’t find it on you. If you call Meghan, just say something like ‘I forgot to feed the dog, can you do it?’ and Meghan will be there as quick as she can. And don’t feel bad about asking for help – even the best and most seasoned operators know that calling for backup is better than forcing the issue and getting caught or blowing the game. When Meghan arrives she will assess the situation. One of the things she might do would be to create a diversion to draw everyone’s attention away from you, to give you a chance to pass the gun to Laure.”

“Is Laure going to shoot the gangster?” Louise asked.

“She will if the opportunity presents itself. She is very courageous and resourceful” said Dawn.

“Like her sister?” Louise asked with a beautiful, rare smile.

“Yes, just like her sister. You OK with this? You don’t have to do this, you know. It’s not your business and it could turn dangerous” said Dawn.

“I’m OK doing this. I love Dan and Laure, they are so wonderful together and they treat me like a loved sister instead of a dumb bunny like some others do. I’ve made a mess of their relationship so maybe I’m feeling a little bit guilty. If Laure is being held against her will I want to help get her out. I also need to get Buster out for my own carnal needs. Since I can be expected to know my way around the theater and talk to lots of people, I will blend into the audience.”

Dawn said “Thank you Louise. You have a good heart. If you call Meghan, I will be somewhere in the background too and I’ll watch for you if there’s any trouble.”

“Me? Have a good heart? Don’t let that get around. I have to keep up my reputation for enraging people” Louise said. Dawn laughed. She was beginning to like Louise.

Laure wanted to be at the theater early to get good seats but Buster called ahead and talked to the theater manager and requested three seats together be held for an important person who would arrive just a few minutes before the show started. The manager reluctantly agreed when Buster promised to pass something along when they shook hands.

They arrived at the theater four minutes before show time and Buster sought out the manager, shook hands with him and the manager found a sawbuck in his hand. The manager was disappointed because the usual tip for these seats was twenty bucks each. Frank, Laure and Buster were seated just six rows back and near the middle of the row, a perfect sight line for the show. Frank and Laure had become very good at talking to each other without moving their lips much and he told Laure that he was sure someone from Dan’s crew would be here too, but not to acknowledge anyone, which could jeopardize any transfer of materials or messages. Frank knew Laure was hoping to get her derringer. Frank told Laure who then passed it on to Buster that he had spotted Tony in the audience a few rows back and that there might be others that he had not seen, so they had to be extra careful. Frank and Buster would have to act like tough bodyguards if she talked to anyone in the theater.

The show began with a short vaudeville act that wasn’t very funny or interesting. Laure wished that W.C. Fields was there. Now he was a man who got the audience to laugh. The dance show began on time and although Laure only knew ballroom and jazz dancing, she thought the Denishawn Dancers were very elegant and graceful, with each dance telling a story. She could see why Louise had enjoyed dancing with Denishawn, even if they did throw her out for being too bold when it came to her relationships with men. At intermission time the lights were turned up and Laure wanted to get up and move around but Frank pushed her back down, a little roughly Laure thought, but then she remembered that the ugly thug Tony was watching.

Seemingly from out of nowhere Louise Brooks came rushing down the row of seats and pulled Laure up from her seat to hug her. She had moved quickly and no one had seen her coming, not even Tony, who stood up and put his hand inside his coat and rested it on his gun. Tony noticed Frank did the same and Buster took Louise by the shoulders and moved her away roughly. Louise had only been able to hug Laure and her hands were visible and empty the entire time so she could not have given anything to Laure. Buster took Louise by the arm and moved her down the row toward the aisle. When they reached the end of the row, Louise turned and slapped Buster’s face hard, then again. She loudly told him to keep his hands off her or she would call her friends in the police department and have him arrested.

Louise turned with an arrogant flounce and stormed her way to the exit. Tony saw the entire incident and did not see how Louise could have given anything to Laure. His only concern was that Laure should be frisked to make sure. From the rear of the auditorium, Dawn had observed everything. She was a Pinkerton-trained observer and saw what Tony did not see, that Laure had received the derringer. Louise had played her part perfectly. But then, Dawn thought, Louise was one of the best movie actresses in the business, she could hardly have done any less. Dawn spotted Tony watching and went to the drugstore’s public telephone to call Meghan and tell her what disguises she should bring for each of them. There was now another part for them to play.

Monday, September 7, 2015

Louise Brooks inspired character in 2 new novels, The Roaring Road


Louise Brooks is a character in two new works of historical fiction, The Roaring Road: Book 1 The Road West and The Roaring Road: Book 2 The Road East, by Johann M.C. Laesecke. Both are now available on Amazon in ebook and paperback format.

The Roaring Road: Book 1 The Road West description: "1924 – Prohibition has been the law since 1920 but that did not stop people from wanting alcoholic beverages nor did it stop the organizations that supplied them. Lack of good alcoholic beverages causes many speakeasies and gangs to manufacture low quality substitutes made from dangerous ingredients. Violence is on the rise as the gangs protect their turf and their products. Dan and Laure grew up in small villages in the far north and south areas of Chicago. They meet in unusual circumstances and Dan loves her at first sight. Laure has the same feelings for him but a past relationship causes her to be cautious and Dan is forced to undertake an impossible mission. Thus begins the adventure of The Roaring Road. Take a prototype Duesenberg and a Road Trip Dog - add mayhem, a mob chief, a group of highwaymen and a gang of bank robbers, a pair of kidnappers and assorted other villains, throw in visits to speakeasies plus the lure of Hollywood in the form of a prank devised by the infamous actress Louise Brooks that turns out to be wildly successful, and Laure is offered a role in the 1926 movie 'The Great Gatsby'. Automobiles, trains, aeroplanes, flapper glamour, adventure,mayhem and lust on the roads and rails and in the speakeasies and blind pigs of Prohibition. What could possibly go wrong?

The Roaring Road: Book 2 The Road East description: "1926 - Laure and Dan are being drawn into Hollywood even as their challenge of moving their contraband inventory becomes critical. Laure is a dancer on the 1926 production of The Great Gatsby movie, while Dan has an offer to become a movie producer. There are others who want Laure, and not for her dancing. Trouble looms as kidnappers are sent to grab Laure and send her to Chicago where her life expectancy will be very short. The railcar full of wine and booze is hijacked and their friend Scott is taken as a hostage and is forced to become a morphine addict. Dan's crew captures the train and Scott back and they send him to the rehab clinic Scott and Dan helped fund. Trouble continues to come at Dan and Laure but they gather a small group of people with unusual talents to help. The Chicago gangs become more involved and more mayhem leads to a confrontation in Cherryvale, Kansas which happens to be the hometown of Louise Brooks. Come with us on our adventure tale of captures, rescues, recapture, speakeasies, mayhem and lust on the roaring roads and rails of the Prohibition era. What Could Possibly Go Wrong?"

Saturday, May 24, 2014

Another Louise Brooks inspired novel

Valentina is an erotic novel based on the Valentia comix  by Guido Crepax, which were inspired by Louise Brooks. Pictured here is the Italian edition (along with descriptive text in Italian). The book, which is part of a trilogy, has been issued in various countries, and the covers vary accordingly. For more on these books and their author's take on the Valentina character and Louise Brooks, see Evie Blake's "Valentina's World."

Valentina
Noëlle Harrison (writing as Evie Blake)
January 1, 2012
Editora Europa - Publisher

Criada pelo célebre artista gráfico italiano Guido Crepax, a jovem fotógrafa de moda Valentina Rosselli é uma das mais emblemáticas heroínas de graphic novels de todos os tempos. Com seus cabelos pretos cortados rente à nuca, inspirados na artista de cinema dos anos 1920 Louise Brooks, ela é a essência da sofisticação europeia. No seu íntimo, vive uma mulher apaixonada e excitante, que não pensa duas vezes para mergulhar em mundos desconhecidos e experimentar seus desejos mais secretos. Neste romance, Valentina vive em Milão com seu amante Théo e recebe dele um presente inusitado: um álbum de fotos antigas, com negativos enigmáticos, cujas imagens, à primeira vista, são indecifráveis. Adepta do processo fotográfico tradicional, ela amplia os negativos em sua câmara escura e, ao montar o quebra-cabeça, descobre que se tratam de closes de uma mulher retratada em poses eróticas.

Ao mesmo tempo, Valentina recebe uma proposta de trabalho igualmente inusitada: criar uma série de fotos artísticas e eróticas em um clube de sadomasoquismo. Inicialmente avessa ao tema, acaba acreditando que suas incursões nesse mundo podem ajudá-la a descobrir quem é a mulher retratada nos negativos. E também qual a relação dela com a sua vida.

Louise Brzezinska, por sua vez, vive em Veneza no ano da Grande Depressão, 1929. Presa num casamento infeliz com um poderoso homem de negócios, certa vez é confundida com uma prostituta e resolve viver a experiência. Ao ver aflorar toda a sua sensualidade e desejo reprimidos, passa a levar uma vida dupla, alternando a recatada vida de socialite com seu alter ego, Belle, a cortesã mais famosa de Veneza.

Mesmo separadas por décadas, Valentina e Belle têm uma relação atemporal entre elas: ambas estão em busca de sua verdadeira identidade. Belle acredita que só o amor pode ser libertador, enquanto Valentina mergulha em uma viagem erótica que vai revelar traços de sua personalidade que ela jamais pensou existir.

Thursday, February 20, 2014

Another Recently published novel features Louise Brooks

Just recently, I came across another new novel which features Louise brooks as a character. The actress and silent film star appears in Take Her For a Ride, which was published by Crucson Publishing earlier this month in February, 2013. Its author is Steven M. Painter.

I plan on reading this novel sometime soon. Here is the description of the book from the publisher. "It's 1930. The stock market crashed. The Great Depression is beginning. Hollywood is starting to rot underneath its glamour and lights. Nobody knows this better than producer Paul Russell. He has to save a movie studio from financial ruin. All he has at his disposal are a stack of horror scripts, some old sets, and unknown actors. The Hollywood pecking order applies to people as much as studios. Actress Lillian Nelson learned this lesson shortly after arriving in Los Angeles. Although she is dating Paul, she refuses to let him give her parts at his studio. She wants to make it on her own. Her attempt to overcome obstacles in order to insert herself into the public's heart is the stuff dreams and nightmares are made of in Hollywood. James Cagney, Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff, Louise Brooks, and Jack Warner act as your guides while Take Her for a Ride peels back the skin of Hollywood's most glamorous age to reveal a core of talented businessmen, competent directors, and radiant stars."

About the author: "Steven M. Painter holds a master's degree in film studies from the University of Arizona. The majority of his research focuses on the films and culture of the 1930s. His master's thesis examined shifting gender roles in early-sound comedies. He has presented papers at conferences on topics ranging from Alfred Hitchcock to The Best Years of Our Lives. He majored in journalism at the University of New Mexico. Prior to studying film, he worked as a reporter for the Woodward News in Woodward, Oklahoma. When he isn't watching movies or writing, Painter enjoys sports, especially basketball.​"

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Recently published novel features Louise Brooks

Just recently, I came across a new novel which features Louise brooks as a character. The actress and silent film star also appears on the cover of Virtually Forever, which was published by Eames Media in November of last year. Its author is Anthony Eames.

I haven't yet read the book, and do not know much about it. Here is the description of the book from the publisher.

"Virtually Forever is a love story with an unusual twist. Michael Stanton has an obsessive interest in the long-dead, hauntingly beautiful silent screen actor, Louise Brooks. Involved in an military program to replicate world leaders in a virtual reality domain, he clandestinely uses this technology to recreate the Jazz Age world of Louise Brooks. Entering it, he appears as a wealthy and mysterious stranger and, soon after meeting Louise, a love affair follows against the backdrop of Hollywood parties and studio politics. Back in the real world, Michael’s colleagues have discovered that there is an unknown intruder in their top-secret computer system. The plot weaves between Michael's tempestuous love affair with Louise and his desperate struggle to safeguard her and her world from annihilation — at any cost."

About the author: "A former newspaper journalist and television producer-scriptwriter, Anthony Eames’ varied career also includes roles as a book publishing editor, advertising copywriter and creative director and public relations consultant. A graduate of the BBC Television & Film School, he worked on documentaries, current affairs and magazine programs for several broadcasting organizations in the UK. In Australia, he jointly operated a successful TV production company for many years and has seven international film and video awards to his credit. An Anglo-Irishman living in Sydney, Australia, he is currently trying to reduce the demands of his communications consultancy so he can invest more time in writing projects. His interests include Roman history, philosophy, science and foreign languages. He relishes good food, stimulating company and unrestrained laughter. Anthony has traveled widely and worked in several countries. He is particularly interested in Asian cultures. Anthony is married to a Japanese molecular biologist"

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

‘Just One Day’ by Gayle Forman has Louise Brooks inspired character



Just One Day, the recent YA teen novel by Gayle Forman, has a Louise Brooks inspired character. The book is the story Allyson, a “good girl” on a European tour with Willem, an adventurous Dutch actor. After seeing him perform in Twelfth Night, Allyson accepts Willem’s invitation to spend a day together, after which he calls her Lulu, the nickname of the silent film actress Louise Brooks.... that's according to the review in the New York Times.

More about the author and her books can be found at www.gayleforman.com/

Saturday, October 13, 2012

Sophie Kinsella - Twenties Girl

A few years back, British novelist Sophie Kinsella wrote a book called Twenties Girl. Published in the United States in 2009, it tells the story of a friendship between two young women. One is a twenty-something contemporary woman, the other the ghost of a 1920s flapper.

In an interview from the time, Kinsella, the popular author of Shopaholic novels, said "I've always loved the glamour and spirit of the 1920s, and the idea came to me of a flapper ghost. A feisty, fun, glamorous girl who adored to dance and drink cocktails and get her own way. I wanted her to be a determined character who would blast into the life of someone with no warning and cause havoc. I then decided she should haunt a thoroughly modern girl, with all the culture clashes and comedy that would bring."





"Having come up with this idea I loved it, so it then remained to plunge myself into 1920s research, which was no hardship at all, as I find the era fascinating. I researched vintage make-up, vintage dresses, read fiction from the period, investigated 1920s slang, and tried to channel as much I could of those feisty flappers who cut their hair short (shock!), smoked cigarettes in public (shock!), had sex (shock!) and generally rebelled in all the outrageous ways they could."

This book has only recently been called to my attention, that's why I am writing about it now. However, what's striking is the book's visual allusion to Louise Brooks, especially Eugene Richee's pearls portrait. The allusion to Brooks is even more noticeable on the cover of the Italian edition.

Would love to hear from anyone who has read this novel.

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Laura Moriarty talks about Louise Brooks and The Chaperone

Today marks the publication of Laura Moriarty's The Chaperone (Riverhead). Copies are just hitting stores across the country! Moriarty's new book is the USA Today #1 Hot Fiction Pick for the summer and an Indie Next List pick, as well as the #1 selection for "Best Book Coming Out This June" in O Magazine. Moriarty, who lives and teaches in Kansas, will be touring the country in the coming weeks. Want a signed copy? Order one here.

The Chaperone is a terrific, quietly powerful and captivating novel about the woman who chaperoned an irreverent Louise Brooks to New York City in 1922, and the summer that would change them both.

Only a few years before becoming a famous actress and an icon of a generation, a fifteen-year-old Louise left Wichita to make it big in New York. Much to her annoyance, she is accompanied by a thirty-six-year-old chaperone who is neither mother nor friend. Cora Carlisle is a complicated but traditional woman with her own reasons for making the trip. 

Cora has no idea what she’s in for: teenage Louise, already stunningly beautiful and sporting her famous blunt bangs and black bob, is known for her arrogance and her lack of respect for convention. Ultimately, the five weeks they spend together will change both of their lives.

For Cora, New York holds the promise of discovery that might prove an answer to the question at the center of her being, and even as she does her best to watch over Louise in a strange and bustling city, she embarks on her own mission. And while what she finds isn’t what she anticipated, it liberates her in a way she could not have imagined. Over the course of the summer, Cora’s eyes are opened to the promise of the twentieth century and a new understanding of the possibilities for being fully alive.

Drawing on the rich history of the 1920s,1930s, and beyond – from the orphan trains to Prohibition, flappers, and the onset of the Great Depression to the burgeoning movement for equal rights and new opportunities for women – Moriarty’s The Chaperone illustrates how rapidly everything, from fashion and values to hemlines and attitudes were changing, and what a profound difference it made for the real life Louise Brooks, the fictional Cora Carlisle, and others like them.

Recently, Moriarty answered a few questions about her new book for the Louise Brooks Society.

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How did you come to write The Chaperone? How did you come to discover the story of 15 year old Louise Brooks heading off to NY in 1922 with an older chaperone?

I was browsing in a bookstore, and I came across the book Flapper by Joshua Zeist. He has a chapter devoted to Louise, and I’d always thought she was compelling. I started reading about her early life, and right there in the bookstore, I learned about the trip with the chaperone. Given what I already knew about Louise – that she was smart, self-directed, and temperamental – I knew this chaperone must have had her work cut out for her.

What is it about their story that interests you?

I’m always interested in inter-generational tension, and 1922 strikes me as a time when just a twenty-year gap in ages could make such a difference between two people. If the chaperone was 36 in 1922, she would have come of age during a time of corsets and covered ankles. The flappers with their bared knees – and all the changing social mores that fashion represents – would have been hard to get used to. So the chaperone might have been challenged by any forward-thinking adolescent, let alone the already sophisticated Louise Brooks.

I was also intrigued by Louise’s complicated personality and story.  She was both smart and self-destructive, and I wondered about her sudden disappearance from Hollywood. One thing that impresses me about Louise is how authentic she was – she acted as she felt and she said what she thought. Hollywood wasn’t the right place for her.

Did writing The Chaperone involve much research? What were the challenges of writing about two historical figures - one of which we know a good deal about, the other obscure?

I did a great deal of research for this book. Researching Louise was actually the easy part – I read her biographies and her autobiography, and I watched her films. I even looked at her old letters to see her handwriting. But I actually had to do more research for the chaperone, Cora, because even though she was invented, I wanted to make her a woman of her time, to make her someone who could have been thirty-six in 1922. But I really liked weaving Cora’s imagined life into the real facts of Louise’s.

Were you a fan of Louise Brooks? 

I knew who she was and I thought she was striking, but I wasn’t a fan until I started reading about her. I’m certainly a fan now.

When did you first encounter her? Is there anything you learned about Louise Brooks that surprised you?

I don’t remember when I first learned who she was. I know I tried to copy her haircut back in my twenties, and it completely didn’t work on me! But it wasn’t until that day in the bookstore that I started learning about her life.

As for surprises, there was an answer Louise gave to a question in her old age that I found really moving. LB fans will know, I think, what I’m alluding to, and I don’t want to ruin it for people who haven’t yet read her biography. But late in life, someone asked the hard and worn-down Louise if she’d ever really loved anyone, and her answer was pretty touching. I wish I could have been a fly on the wall when she was interacting with this person, the one person she could admit she loved.

The Chaperone has been described as "the best kind of historical fiction, transporting you to another time and place, but even more importantly delivering a poignant story about people so real, you'll miss and remember them long after you close the book." That is a wow. What's next?


Thanks! I really have liked writing historical fiction, and my next novel will be historical as well. I’m just starting the research now . . .
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Fans of Downton Abbey will be thrilled to learn that actress Elizabeth McGovern reads the audio version of The Chaperone, which is due out in July. McGovern has also optioned the movie rights - and yes, Cora (her character in Downton Abbey) could end up playing Cora in any possible film. Who might play Louise Brooks is anyone's guess. Want to find out more about this fantastic novel? Check out this video interview with Laura Moriarty from USA Today.

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