The Divine Garbo

by Frederick Sands, Sven Broman

Rare early photographs of Garbo and never-before-published pictures from the forties illustrate this portrait of Garbo from her childhood in Sweden and her beginnings as an actress to her Hollywood years, romances, premature retirement, and life today

Genres: Film, Nonfiction, Biography

243 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 1982

Reviews

[Bookworm Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have had this book a long time and finally read it. I have almost gave it away a few times and I'm glad I didnt. I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would

[Christopher Dove · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is quite a short book about Greta Garbo. It was published in 1979 when Garbo was very much alive. The author met and got to know Garbo while she was on her annual visit to Klosters in the Swiss Alps. Sands' biography is built around his conversations with Garbo and interviews with people who had known her throughout her life. It does quite often lack detail. For instance her career in Hollywood, which really defined her as an international star, is dealt with in just one chapter. Similarly the deaths of her mentor Mauritz Stiller and her sister Alva are both highlighted as having a profound effect on Garbo, but we never learn what caused the death of either. The picture that emerges of Garbo is that of a rather sad individual who never really came to terms with her stardom and was not sure about her place in the world. She made her last film in 1941 when she was still at the height of her powers.She was also one of the very few major stars of the silent era who was just as successful in the talkies. The book makes clear that there were efforts to bring her back on screen but she never found the right project. A fantastic talent never fully fulfilled.