Louise Brooks, the Persistent Star

by Thomas Gladysz

"Louise Brooks, the Persistent Star" brings together 15 years work by Thomas Gladysz, the Director of the Louise Brooks Society. Gathered here are a selection of his articles, essays, and blogs about the silent film star. The actress' best known films--"Beggars of Life," "Pandora's Box," "and Diary of a Lost Girl"--are discussed, as are many other little known aspects of Brooks' legendary career. These pieces range from the local ("Louise Brooks, at the corner of Brooklyn Avenue and 16th Street") to the worldly ("Making Personas: Transnational Film Stardom in Modern Japan"), from the provocative ("A Girl in Every Port: The Birth of Lulu?") to the poignant ("Homage to George W. Lighton of Kentucky, idealistic silent film buff who perished in the Spanish Civil War"), from the quirky ("Louise Brooks' First Television Broadcast") to the surprising ("A Lost Girl, a Fake Diary, and a Forgotten Author"). Also included are related interviews with actor Paul McGann, singer- songwriter Rufus Wainwright, and novelist Laura Moriarty, author of The Chaperone.... with dozens of illustrations.

296 pages, Paperback

Published July 1, 2018

About the author

I am an arts journalist and author. I write about old movies, books, art, music and 20th century popular culture. Online, my work has appeared on the HuffingtonPost, Salon, LitHub, PopMatters, Film International, Fiction magazine, and Medium. In print, my work has appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle and other newspapers, as well as in various literary journals such as the San Francisco Review of Books and Red Cedar Review. My work can be found in books published by the National Gallery of Art, HarperCollins, University of Nebraska Press, University of Mississippi Press, Gale Research, and others. Portfolios of my work can be found on MuckRack and Clippings.Me.

I am also the founding director of the Louise Brooks Society (www.pandorasbox.com), a fan site and online archive launched in 1995. I've written dozens of articles and authored / edited five books on this iconic silent film star. I've written liner notes and program essays for various film festivals, contributed audio commentaries to two DVDs, curated exhibits, lectured, and introduced Brooks' films around the world. Not surprisingly, I've also kept a blog about the actress since 2002.

The Louise Brooks Society has been praised by the likes of Roger Ebert and Leonard Maltin and in the pages of Wired ("an exemplary website") and the New York Times ("an excellent homage to the art of silent film"). It's my life's work, and a labor of love.

Book-wise, I might also mention I was a longtime bookseller in San Francisco, and also worked at the Arion Press, a publisher of fine press, limited edition books. I've written many book reviews for the likes of Publisher's Weekly, Small Press and other magazines and newspapers.

Reviews

[Jim Dooley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I came very close to deleting this book without a review. As I’ve mentioned a number of times, I take the title of this site to mean only reviewing books that I consider to be a “good read,” and that means a rating of three stars or more.

For the casual Reader ... or the person who is seeking an introduction to Louise Brooks ... this book is almost useless. It “fills in the gaps” with information and tidbits that the true Fan would find interesting. Everyone else will give up long before progressing too far. Also, being a collection of blog postings, there is a HUGE amount of redundancy. Entire paragraphs were copied verbatim and reposted in other entries. Finally, there is a great amount of self-promotion and congratulation. When someone else says it, it is appreciation. When you say it about yourself, it’s bragging.

So, why a review?

Well, I am an admitted Fan not only of Louise Brooks, but of many of the films, people and stories that surrounded her life. For me, LOUISE BROOKS: THE PERSISTENT STAR, had value. Here are just four examples:

* The massive amount of postings attributed to The Louise Brooks Society (created and maintained by the writer) convinced me to become a supporting member. I joined this past weekend;

* A mention of a silent film that I’d never heard of before, BEHIND THE DOOR, caused me to buy a Blu-ray copy released by Flicker Alley. This movie may have been responsible for ushering in the horror cycle prior to some of the more famous Lon Chaney films. I’m very pleased to have it in my collection;

* There was a lot of detail about a free streaming radio channel, RadioLulu, which can be found at The Louise Brooks Society web site (and through other sources). I absolutely LOVE this channel. In fact, it caused me to buy a better Bluetooth speaker so I can better enjoy the offerings!;

* I learned of a book called THE INVENTION OF MOREL that I’d never known existed. The plot seemed very intriguing, and it apparently made an appearance in a television series that I loved, LOST. It is on its way to me from Barnes and Noble.

Don’t get me wrong. Although I read everything, there were sections that tried my patience. However, there were also many things that piqued my interest.

So, if you don’t know about Louise Brooks and the period in which she worked, give this one a pass. If you are a Fan, this is a worthwhile read.

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thomas Gladysz, founder of the Louise Brooks Society, has written widely about the enigmatic silent film star - on his own blog, and news sites like the Examiner and Huffpost. But as he notes in the introduction to this book, web content has a tendency to disappear. That's why this print compendium of his many articles (spanning 20 years, from the dawn of the internet to the age of social media) is such a welcome feast. He covers everything from Brooks' own writing to her turbulent film career and cultural peers, right up to her abiding influence on the contemporary arts. Unlike other screen icons, 'Lulu' is far more famous today than she was at the height of her youth and beauty, and this (fully illustrated) book proves that 'the persistent star' is a perfect accolade.

[Vultural · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gladysz, Thomas - Louise Brooks, The Persistent Star

Yes, yes, as others have pointed out, there are scattered redundancies here and there. Also, for casual readers, much here borders on trivia or minutiae.
My biggest complaint is the lack of an index. Possibly this will be remedied in a later edition.
Nevertheless, this is a goldmine of information and photographs, not only of Brooks but also of her contemporaries, along with billboards, newspaper clippings, adverts, etc …
There are reminisces of those smitten by her, during and after her moment.
Gladysz’s passion is remarkable, his dedication tireless. He is the proper definition of fan, a fanatic.
Overall, an excellent companion to the biography by Barry Paris, which itself is essential.