The Divine Sarah: A Life of Sarah Bernhardt

by Arthur Gold

Draws on unpublished writings and the reminiscences and critical appraisals of friends, admirers, and detractors to present a portrait of the iron-willed and tempestuous actress

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, History, Art, France

351 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

Reviews

[Lee Rene · Rating 3 out of 5]

First, I must note that The Divine Sarah by the late Arthur Gold and Robert Fizdale is a witty, acerbic read that will hold your interest. Unfortunately, both writers died before they could discover new information on Bernhardt that has recently surfaced from Holland and contradicts everything previously written about her. Bernhardt fabricated her family origins and in order to write something new about her, Gold and Fizdale based their reserach on Bernhardt's early life on a scabrous novel written in part by a woman who hated her. The result is similar to a biography of a contemporary celebrity where the major source is Perez Hilton. The recent bio by Robert Gottlieb (he was editor) also utilizes the same information and present as fact information we now would question.

[Yasmin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting book on a very fascinating woman. There are so many ways to describe Sarah Bernhardt, so many adjectives, she lived through quite extrodinary time period. She saw the ravages of war of the Franco-Prussian war and if that was not bad enough the prolonged horrors of the First World War. She experienced the scandlous Captain Defreyus fiasco, an innocent man not only wrongfully accused and imprisoned but a joint nightmare for all peoples of Jewish faith, birth or even partial birth or faith and even those that were not but suspected of being Jews because of how their facial characteristics were. She rode the tide politically and socially as her own private life was as a tidal wave. The only pity is that I have only heard a snatch of her voice on Youtube and what people have said only gives a glimmer as to the kind of person that she was, or as an actress persons. As long as she had been an actress it is hard to know where the woman starts and the actress stops or rather where the woman stops and the actress begins, or are they really one and the same? She came from a time when acting is certainly not as we modern persons would know it or for some possibly understand it. There are many people who when they see a silent black and white film are impatient with it (indeed there was quite a controversey about The Artist about the very thing I refer to) and give up on it five or ten minutes into. They cannot understand human emotion visual without the aid of audio, which I think is a great pity, well for those who are impatient with silent cinema Sarah Bernhardt is not an actress you will appreciate. Altho' when she saw herself on celluoid she was horrorfied silent movie acting and her own I don't believe are alien to each other, but kin. Not all silent movie actors/actresses played alike, each style was different, however, each person did have things in common, the most was to project your emotions, you were your emotions, they governed, because you could not really speak. Lips moved but no one would hear them. Therefore because there was no sound and very few speaking boards for the audience to read you had to convey the whole story visually. In movies it is called mime, however, on the stage you could be heard, but still there was miming of a kind. You had to project your voice and for people high up in the stalls (or the Gods as it is known) you had to be very vigorous and dramatic so that people without very good sight could see you. But more than this the style of acting of her time was expected. People were very expressive with their emotions and she was one of the greatest if not the greatest at her art. She did more than act, she recited poems, she even turned her hand to directing, she owned theatres, she travelled, she was a great letter writer and she inspired many more generations, she was even patriotic, not merely when time called for it but always, even tho' her beloved France was not always kind to her. She was a woman of many facets, abilities and a keen intelligence.

[Rebecca Rosenberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Research for GOLD DIGGER

[Debra Pawlak · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was not an easy read. When I started it, I knew absolutely nothing about Sarah Bernhardt--except that she was the most famous actress of her time. Since I knew nothing, everything in the book was new to me, but I was disappointed in the text-book style of writing. It was not an easy read. I had to keep going back over the same sentences and paragraphs in order to understand what exactly was being said. Bernhardt certainly led a colorful life and surrounded herself with colorful people--unfortunately, many of the names that were dropped were unfamiliar to me. The book did intrigue me to learn a bit more about Bernhardt, but I certainly hope that the next biography I read about her will give me a better sense of what she was really like.

[Fraser Sherman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've never known much about Sarah Bernhardt and this taught me I know even less than I thought — I hadn't realized she was French, for instance. While decidedly speculative in spots (Bernhardt, like many stars, wasn't above embroidering her past to make a better story), it shows how her intense personal magnetism, ambition and talent, not to mention a good eye for business (when invited to rejoin the prestigious Comedie Francaise in later years, she opted for her own productions, which were far more profitable), she became The actress of the 1800s, touring the world, taking and dropping multiple lovers and thoroughly enjoying herself. A good look at a larger-than-life woman.

[Maureen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this a while ago. Mesmerizing. Totally invites you into her world. Perfect mix of gossip, scandal, history, glamor, celebrity. Beautifully written. Compelling.

[S. Wigget · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fascinating biography with plenty of photos.

[Kathleen Hulser · Rating 4 out of 5]

Arthur Gold and Robert Fizdale have collected an extraordinary wealth of material about Bernhardt -- comparing period recollections and performances, evaluating stage roles, commenting on theater history and social issues. The book reflects a cosmpolitan sensibility with wit,irony and skepticism applied to the legends and malarkey, as well as enormous affection for the travails of the self-made artist.

Bernhardt was so much more than an actress. Her disastrous mother/pimp launched her as a courtesan long before a girl should have to earn a living. Bernhardt was truly entrepreneurial with all her talents, and indefatigable about her passions whether or not they were warranted. Whether founding her own theatre or propelling her talentless but well-endowed lover as a lead, she did it with relentless energy and all her soul. Her vaunted range of expression on stage seemed to be matched off stage as well with rivalries, epic dissimulation, love affairs so hot they burn the page, and break-ups like train wrecks. When broke, she steamed across the Atlantic for crazy cross-country barn-stormings of America. If the local morals police closed the theatre, she was happy to fill a tent as she did performing for 2,000 in Kansas City, Missouri. How delicious it is to ponder her success when Gold and Fizdale tell us that audiences acclaimed her portrayal of a character, clapping while reading the wrong script as she performed in French! In Montreal and Chicago, the diocese fueed the publicity machine and her war chest by banning her performance, thus ensuring enormous ticket sales. Ever gracious, she publically thanked the Archbishop. Of course, she always needed money, since La Bernhardt had to live in high style with terrific carriages, furs and mansions. And her miserable offspring Maurice had lousy luck at the gaming tables of Monte Carlo, so mama had to work till she dropped.

One of my favorite late Bernhardt images shows her stumping for French troops in the Great War on one leg, after she had an amputation caused by repeated injuries to a knee initially smashed in a fall on stage. Naturally, she must have been a great Hamlet, but even better is the thought of her playing the male lover to herself previously in the female role. The volume has marvelously researched photos, culled from personal collections, aristocratic archives (who, afterall, wasn't her lover or admirer?) and sources in a dozen countries.

[Trebledb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Divine! Well written, informative, intriguing. Now I feel like I know her. A very worthwhile read.

[Devon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am enamoured with Victorian theatre and its history, and there’s possibly no one so famous as Sarah Bernhardt. Of course I want to know more about her! I requested Ma Double Vie as a Christmas gift but, knowing that actors often lied in concerns to EVERY facet about themselves, I also requested this as well in amidst my other books.

First things first: with a book published 28 years ago, I’m well aware that the perception of a person then won’t be the perception now. Researchers now have the internet at their fingertips, able to search digital collections from libraries and museums far away or purchase copies of those precious items from said establishments without ever having to leave the comfort of their homes. They can subscribe to numerous genealogy and newspaper sites and trawl records, easily searching through with precision, focusing on certain terms. Obviously that coupled with new letters or journals or what have you can date or even completely tarnish a biography, so you have to take it with a grain of sand.

Otherwise, I found the book very well researched and thoroughly plotted out, and it held my attention immediately. The pictures—so many pictures!—were also a very welcome addition. It’s a good book to help cut through some of the lies and tales Sarah wove around herself, or at least good enough to provide context to why she might have said this one thing, or did that thing.

Also Sarah herself--her tempestuous moods, her wit, her charm--really came alive through their research, happily enough.

[M.K. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this non-fiction account of Sarah Bernhardt's life as a way of deciding whether to write a novel based on her life.

Born October 23, 1844 to Julie Bernard, a courtesan who spent most of her time and effort on the men in her life, Sarah was sent to Brittany as a little girl to be raised by a peasant nurse and later to boarding school and finally a convent school. Convinced of her destiny as a nun, Sarah rejects her mother's attempts to find a suitable husband, however, one of Julie's lovers suggests an acting career and after seeing a production at the Comedie Francaise, Sarah is hooked.

Arthur Gold and Robert Fizdale do an admirable job of documenting Sarah's life, weaving narrative with letters, diaries and written accounts of others close to the actress, but in the end Sarah Bernhardt emerges as a woman with countless lovers, an insatiable thirst for the stage and an endless series of acting roles and lavish productions. And 330 pages later, I am left with a feeling of 'ho hum'. Not that Bernhardt wasn't a woman of grit with an indomitable spirit and a fierce commitment to her art, but I wasn't as captivated as I had expected to be and certainly not enough to spend at least two years creating a novel around her life.

Ah well, c'est la vie.

[Fionna Guillaume · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent biography, putting Sarah Berhardt right where she belongs: center stage. In the context of her time, with thoughtful reflections on her personality and relationships, Sarah emerges as a true diva. Full of beautiful photos, written in a pleasant, accessible style, this book belongs on any theater-lover's shelf.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent biography of a difficult subject. This woman was absolutely amazing. I wandered over to YouTube and fuond a recording she made in 1902 -- her voice just send chills thorugh your whole body.
Would recommend to anyone interested in great women, pre-Victorian theater, French history, etc.

[Shelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed reading about this amazing, talented, driven wild woman of the Victorian era. The book's well written, well documented, and it reads like a novel.

[Huling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! Very well-written biography. What a woman! Fascinating. Absolutely fascinating account of the first international superstar.

[Jbondandrews · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the Divine Sarah. She was an amazing person and I shall enjoy reading more about her.

[Kristin Maillard · Rating 2 out of 5]

For a book about a dramatic personality, it was not very compelling. Still. I've always had curiousity about Sarah Bernhardt and, now, I don't.