Jazz Cleopatra: Josephine Baker in Her Time

by Phyllis Rose

Follows the singer's rise from poverty and obscurity to international stardom against the backdrop of 1920's Paris and a Europe in the shadow of Hilter, and recounts her later civil rights activism and many adoptions

Genres: Biography, History, Music, Nonfiction, African American, France, Race

321 pages, Hardcover

First published September 27, 1989

About the author

Phyllis Rose is an American literary critic, essayist, biographer, and educator.

She lives in Connecticut with her husband, writer and illustrator Laurent de Brunhoff

Reviews

[Charlotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book does a great job of stripping away the myth and rumor of Ms. Baker and exploring the complicated century in which she lived. Provided with many great insights into the Parisian, American and international worlds that were the backdrop to Ms. Baker's life, this book manages to hold tight to the thread of her life without becoming too sentimental or monotonous.
I enjoyed this book mostly for the glimpse into the glittery Paris nightlife of the 20's and early 30's. The establishment of Paris as a haven for misused black Americans, especially entertainers and performers, helps to click in another piece of the ex-pat puzzle without becoming a "Casablanca" cliche.
This is a great book for those interested in dance, 20's and 30's glamour, the evolution of racial identity in the US and abroad as well as a look at a truly extraordinary talent.

[Maryellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

inspiring woman!

[Phrodrick slowed his growing backlog · Rating 5 out of 5]

With Jazz Cleopatra, Prof Phyllis Rose has written one of the most balanced, readable and thoughtful biographies I have read in a long time. It is typical for a biographer to become too much of a fan to be critical. In the case of figures from entertainment the writer can become star struck or become so focused on the factual recitation that the reader cannot get the excitement or scent of the stage. Prof has not made any of these classic mistakes.

In a relatively short space, less than 300 pages we are brought from Mrs. Baker's youth in severe poverty, suffering under the additional problems of a disappointed, but for motherhood, show biz star mother, abandonment by her father, and a racist America to her stardom in France and much of the world, her roles as a leader in entertainment and fashion and more.

It is the more that may come as a surprise. Certainly she could be wasteful with her money and indifferent in her distinctions between her love life and her sex life, but she was also a woman of causes. She would have a role as a Free French military officer. A role she made on her terms. She would be active in America efforts to break the color barrier and she would ultimately exhaust herself trying to raise a large adopted rainbow of colors family.

Along the way Mrs. Baker would make some important misjudgments. In these Prof Rose is never so lost in her admiration for her subject that the book fails to consider the importance of Baker's errors or the possible reasons for her subjects inability to understand her mistakes.

Alternately Prof Rose manages to convey something of the excitement of a Josephine Baker performance. With the photographs, and the drawings and the writer's skill, once can imagine just how this black woman could by her dancing and later by her singing, not merely light up a stage, but energize a room.

If anything Jazz Cleopatra is too short. The clips of text that help to place Josephine Baker in her Paris and in her time could be longer. There are suggestions of rivalries, especially between Mrs. Baker and her white contemporary Ms. Fanny Brice. However given how often Mrs. Baker reinvented her autobiography, the final judgment is that Jazz Cleopatra relates the true story, her triumphs and peccadilloes, and allows the reader a taste of this performer's stage magic.

[Sasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I honestly must admit I was surprised - schocked in fact - with seriousness, love and depth this author approached a subject which would many consider lightweight. As a difference from many other celebrated biographers who are basically just listing recording dates, Rose goes into describing the atmosphere around Paris in 1920's, what a half nude black woman on the stage meant to European audience at the time, all of a sudden we have discussion about Picasso, Hitler, De Gaulle and the whole book is just simply fascinating.

On many occasions there were clever observations about life - I find myself seriously thinking about my own life while reading a book about a person who doesnt have anything in common with me - its almost a Biblical saga about a strong individual, a fighter and survivor in a world that objects to anybody who stands above the crowd. Baker could have just used her sex appeal to get rich and built herself from the poverty, instead she changed the world around her and used all her energy to spread humanity wherever she went (it made me think about Lennon lyrics: "you may say I'm a dreamer,but I'm not the only one"). Rose doesn't just idolise Baker, there is a understanding that such a strong personality was as powerful to audience as overbearing to people close to her in private life, which seems to be a destiny of anybody with a big influence. Instead of another entertainer-biography I stumbled upon serious and deep analysis of fascinating character, brave and honest, sensitive woman. Bravo!

[Magid · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an amazing woman.

[Brent · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book!

[Katja · Rating 2 out of 5]

While there were interesting factoids about her and life during that time period, it just wasn't quite what I was hoping for. When I was trying to articulate the book to someone, he said, "so it's like a long wikipedia page". Yep, that's what the book reminded me of.

[Rosemary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I came to this book expecting little more than a fluffy show-biz biography. To my delight I discovered that was far from the case. First published in the late 80s by white American writer Phillis Rose I was also expecting the book to have a dated a quite a bit, but for the most part it hasn't. There are a few exceptions of course she describes exoticism as "a cousin to racism" when today we would class it as a kind of racism, as well as more innocuous examples like her contemporary description of the Folies Bergeres as run down, prior to its reinvention as a tourist attraction. Rose brings a sense of academic rigour to her writing, which provided a wealth of context to the story of Baker's life. From the differences between racism in America vs France, to the Parisian music hall tradition, she deftly weaves this information into the narrative. The result is an incredibly readable and fascinating book.

[Melinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jazz Cleopatra -Josephine Baker in Her Time by Phyllis Rose
Interesting bio of Josephine Baker, American singer/ dancer who moved to Paris in her 20s and lived the rest of her life there. Many people would know about her scanty costumes and music hall career, but who knew she was a war hero and humanitarian and had 12 adopted children from all over the world (years before Angelina Jolie, may I add...). Interesting.

[Lester · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would like to have my own copy of this book. Josephine Baker is my 'heroine'..and has been for more than 30 years. Even before Al Stewart sang his song that brought JB to the forefront of new minds in 1988. ( https://youtu.be/HaAlWraukBA )

What a life..what a legacy..Thank you Josephine Baker and also Phyllis Rose for this book and photos.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a thoroughly researched biography of one of the most important dancers and cultural icons of the early 20th century.
"As the first international black star, Josephine Baker transcended her ethnic identity without in the slightest repudiating it, managing in her art and in her rapport with her audience to triumph over her old antagonists - rejection, time and the many forms of the limiting fiction of race."
Most anyone that knows the name Josephine Baker, would know about her banana costume dancing topless in Parisienne nightclubs and theatres. However, one might be surprised at her generosity of helping those in need, her distinguished service and decorated in the French resistance as messenger receiving some of the highest honours. Her resolve to be involved in the war effort drew inspiration at her horror of how she was treated on a tour of Germany in 1929-30. Her good fortune of beings seen in a New York theatre variety show by a French impressario looking for exactly what Ms Baker was exhibiting in this show and invited her to come to Paris. She took the leap. As her fame grew she would be invited to do tours of the USA and be extremely disappointed and dismayed that nothing seems to change in regard to race relations in her home country, making her realize how good she had it France were she was another star performer and loved and seated in the same cafes and restaurants as everyone else. Later she joined the US civil rights movement, having sung at the March On Washington that gave us Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech. Her career lasted her whole life, performing for the last night just a few days before her death. Huge crowds turned out for her funeral. A fabulous read.

[Christopher Roth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed every bit of this, and it has an especially good section analyzing Baker's precise position and significance culturally and politically, from the 1920s through the '70s. My one complaint is that, after such wonderful detail for her Paris years in the '20s and '30s, the book picks up pace to the point where we just whiz right through World War II and her years running an experimental utopian community, with occasional asides about incidents that I wish had been fleshed out more. There wasn't time to get a sense of any of the personalities or stories of her many children. I think there was even a husband or two that got mentioned only glancingly. Plus, apparently Baker had an affair with Frida Kahlo and yet neither she nor Diego Rivera, whom she also knew, is so much as mentioned once! But the author is an academic, not a biographer, so maybe she just skips over the parts that are well covered in other bios, which I haven't read. But she sure gives us the detailed play-by-play of her feud with Walter Winchell.

[Darla Ebert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Phenomenal read. This is such an interesting time period and I had been hearing about Josephine Baker for a very long time. I had no idea of her being such a significant part of the Jazz Era as well as making her debut in France. This explains a lot. What an artist, dancer, the incandescent, original chanteuse.

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elegantly! documented!

[Joan Wetherell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really slow start. Way too much detail about the revues in Paris. I’m going to look for another bio.

[Brynnan Brooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

to have a life that seems like fiction and to write about what’s real and make it sound like a story are both equally impressive feats achieved by this amazing book that everyone should read

[Christie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Josephine Baker grew up as a poor girl in St. Louis who loved to dance. She took that love to Broadway and onto Paris where she became a star. Later, she served her adopted country in World War II then returned to America to join the fight for Civil Rights. In this book, Phyllis Rose reveals the woman behind the star.

This was a fascinating biography about a fascinating lady. It was interesting to read about the struggles African-Americans had in the American entertainment industry (some of which still remains to this day) and how many found stardom in Europe. Josephine made the best of her lot in life and was quite talented (search for her videos on YouTube they are great). The book does a great job of placing Josephine's life in the context of the world she lived in and there is quite a bit of history to be gleaned here.

I would recommend this book to those who enjoy reading about the 1920s and those interested in African-American history or women's history.

2016 Book Riot Read Harder Challenge: Read a biography.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this serves as an introduction to Josephine Baker, much of it, I fear, is mythology created by Baker herself. And it seems that Rose left a few things out, such as, (according to one of Baker's sons), her female lovers.

Still, it's an enjoyable read, even if you're never quite sure what's being revealed and what's being hidden.

[Steven Spector · Rating 4 out of 5]

270 pages detailing the unique and diverse life of Josephine Baker is a gift for any reader interested in her persona and life in Paris in the 1920s and beyond. It's unbiased and yes Madame Josephine did have her doubts, petty jealousies, and periods of unhappiness, although much of her life unlike that of Billie Holiday, seems to have been happy. A solid and comprehensive read.

[m_miriam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have heard so many stories about Josephine Baker that I have always been really curious about; although this book does not offer any grand new insights, Baker led such an amazing life that is fascinating all the same.

[M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heartwrenching,Evicted from her home. Victorious. Heartwarming she adopted 13 children.Regal--pictures of Princes Grace smiling at her!
Loving--grew more beautiful as she got older and didn't have to "clown".

[Oriana]

How have I never heard of Josephine Baker before? She sounds absolutely fascinating.

[La Cranberry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating woman, amazing back story.