Customer Reviews

Eva Peron: A Biography

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3 star:		(4)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book offers a completely unbiased look at one of the most controversial first ladies of the twentieth century. Eva Peron was both adored and despised and many aspects of her life are open to wide speculation. The author never tries to assume one opinion, as most biographers do, but carefully presents each possible version of the events in question. Eva is presented as neither saint or sinner, just a very complex and intense person, and it is completely up to the reader as to how to judge her. This is probably the most well researched and honest biography of Eva Peron available.

I have yet to find an entirely satisfactory biography of Argentina's controversial first lady once widely revered as a saintly Madonna. This book is written chronologically, from the subject's birth in an unremarkable Argentinean provincial town, to her death and the return of her body to Argentina in 1974. It strives to be balanced and to summarize the evidence around various controversial points regarding the life of Eva Peron.

Unfortunately, this book, written by a Paris-based Argentinean-born journalist, while thoroughly entertaining, can hardly qualify as a serious historical or political analysis of Eva Peron and her times. Having only read the English version, it is hard to judge whether the translation is awkward is some places, or whether the original prose also lapses into a saccharine style of romantic best sellers. Even as a journalistic book on this subject, you might find a better, more articulate, and shorter account (which does draw from this book by Ortiz) in Looking for History: Dispatches from Latin America, by Alma Guillermoprieto (which I have also reviewed of this website).

There are some interesting photos in this book, but if it is photos of Evita and her times which interest you, I would recommend Evita: An Intimate Portrait of Eva Peron, by Tomas De Elia, which I have also reviewed on this site.

Eva Peron was one of the most fascinating figures of the 20th Century. She inspired both fanatical devotion and vehement opposition, but rarely anything in between, especially among Argentinians. Consequently, there are wildly different versions of her story -- some viewing her as "Santa Evita," others as a personification of sin and corruption. Till now, most biographies of Evita have been biased toward one party line or the other, and some scraped up the most sensational versions of every incident. Alicia Ortiz goes out of her way to compare opposing stories and offer reasonable conclusions as to where the truth really lies. Refusing to gloss over Eva's weaknesses or overlook her amazing strengths, Ortiz gives a very human and enlightening portrait of a remarkable woman. Considering that the author's father was a political prisoner of the Peron regime, her fairness is all the more impressive. Ms. Ortiz also examines the unique mindset of that Argentinian culture, explaining the sexual and political chemistry that were key factors in Eva's rise and fall. The translator retains many idiomatic aspects of Spanish prose, as well as the tango lyrics that reflect key aspects of the Argentinian spirit (but normally defy translation into English). Not always an easy read, but absorbing and satisfying -- easily the most thorough and well-balanced book on Eva Peron to date.

Alicia Dujovne Ortiz's book "Eva Peron," provides a fascinating look at the woman that inspired a nation and formed the basis of a Broadway musical and a movie. The weak point of the book is that it was not originally written in English, but translated. There are times the reader is left stumped knowing something was lost in translation. However, the author did a superb job in research and seems to have followed every lead. Where multiple myths abound about this fascinating and complex woman, the author presents each viewpoint, with the results of her research and lets the reader determine the truth

This is the first book ever to compile all the biographies of the past (noting political bias of authors) and new information. Absolutely the finest assessment of the Perons' years in power in Argentina, the book is balanced, complete, and thorough, an amazing quality since the subject is so complex and so many facts will never be known. Ortiz scrupulously analyzes published information, rumors, gossip and the results of her own investigation and presents it in a logical, clear and fair manner. No one interested in this topic should start with any other book on the subject

EVA PERON by Alicia Dujovne Ortiz is not a good book. It is not helped by the fact that, as others have noted, it was originally written in another language. As is often the case, something was lost in the translation. In addition to being overly dramatic, at times tabloid-ishly so, it is plagued with historical inaccuracies: it uses the terms "dictator" and "fascist" to refer to Peron. Such accusations are by now passe to the serious biographer of Peron and Evita. As Robert D. Crassweller points out in PERON AND THE ENIGMAS OF ARGENTINA, "Peronism was not fascism ... (it was) an authoritarian populist movement, strongly colored by Catholic social thought (and) by nationalism [pp. 220-223]."

After reading EVA PERON by Alicia Dujovne Ortiz, I was left wondering what the point of it was. Why was this book published? It really has nothing of substance to offer. Obviously, it was published to coincide with the release of Madonna's movie EVITA and to capitalize on the renewed interest in the historical Eva Peron.

For a serious biography of Evita, I recommend EVITA: THE REAL LIFE OF EVA PERON. For an interesting anthropological study of Evita's importance to Argentine society, I would recommend EVA PERON: THE MYTHS OF A WOMAN.

Like many Americans, I didn't know much about Eva Peron, the First Lady of Argentina, before I saw the movie version of the musical 'Evita' starring Madonna (for others, their exposure to Evita was the Broadway musical years before). I fell in love with the film and became fascinated with its subject.

Wanting to know more about Eva, I read two biographies on her: both simply titled, "Eva Peron", the first by Nicholas Fraser and Maryssa Navarro and the second by Alicia Ortiz (translated in English). I found Fraser and Navarro's book very informative, but much too straightforward and dry. Ortiz's book, however, was thoroughly enjoyable. While Fraser and Navarro simply spit out the facts (which is somewhat admirable, considering how much mythology surrounds Eva's life), Ortiz writes in a style that is both detailed and descriptive. She manages to paint a balanced, yet vivid portrait of Evita. In Argentina, Evita is often remembered in either two extremes: as a selfless saintly crusader for the poor or as a ruthless manipulator who did whatever she could to succeed. Ortiz manages to find a middle ground and portray Evita in a more realistic light. She comes across as a flesh-and-blood woman with both strengths and shortcomings. A woman whose fierce ambition and complex persona polarized a nation. I enjoyed learning more about Eva's childhood, the years she worked as an actress, and the complexities of her relationship with Juan Peron. The book seems very well researched, with testimonies from those who knew Eva and quotes from the woman herself (although the accuracy of these quotes is questionable). Not many things about Eva Peron are concrete, including the specific events of her life. Ortiz realizes this and tackles the most well known moments of Eva's life (her move to Buenos Aires at 15, meeting Peron, whether she helped free him from jail or not) by analyzing the ambiguities that surround them. Its hard to not be subjective about a figure as larger than life as Evita and, although her personal opinions do slip in from time to time, Ortiz is quite fair and objective to her subject.

This book is by the far the best Evita Peron book. As a huge fan of the life of Eva Peron, I have read all the current books on Evita, and this one is the most imformative. I love all the pictures in this book, and the information is great. This is a must for anyone who loves history, and especially, Eva Peron.

Alicia Dujovne Ortiz's major biography of Eva Peron is an interesting book chronicling the rise and fall of Argentina's most famous First-Lady.

Out of the many biographies written about Eva Peron, this is one of the better-researched interpretations so I definitely recommend it over the many other more sensationalized accounts. However, this is far from being the best of the lot. In my opinion, Nicholas Fraser and Marysa Navarro's book "Evita: The Real Life of Eva Peron" is the best written in the English language even though it's over 20 years old. Julie M Taylor's "Eva Peron: The Myths of a Woman" is also excellent and insightful, especially in getting a better understanding of the many myths this legendary woman inspired. Robert Crassweller's "Peron and the Enigmas of Argentina" also deserves mention because it is an excellent book, not just about Eva but of Peron and Peronism in general.

Ortiz's book is well researched but sometimes her personal opinion of Eva gets in the way. I guess it's to be expected when you have a woman analyze another woman who is renowned for her glamour and personal style. Ortiz does a good job laying out Eva's life from her humble beginnings to her amazing transformation into "Evita", the imposing and elegant blonde crusader of the less-fortunate. Ortiz uses a lot of witness testimony and she goes into detail when covering Eva's charitable work and Social Aid Foundation however it's nowhere near as detailed or as enlightening as the Spanish edition of her book which is disappointing and I will get into it a little later. Like Fraser/Navarro, Taylor, Crassweller and the several other historians/scholars who have researched Eva Peron and have written well-documented accounts, Ortiz also tries to separate myth from fact. Although at times, she is a bit rough towards the legend she is writing about, the author treats her sympathetically and portrays the mysterious Eva as a flawed but exceptional woman.

Eva's detractor's, on the other hand, have portrayed her as a one-dimensional caricature devoid of any human emotion and morals. Evita, in the eyes of Anti-Peronist biographers such as Mary Main, WA Harbinson, Paul L Montgomery etc, was a beautiful, murderous monster who was smarter than every single person alive in Argentina at the time and anyone who crossed her path fell victim to her dark, sinister charms. These writers dissect and bring to light every single negative character flaw, real or imagined, this woman may have possessed. They choose to ignore the 1000+ schools, 100+ hospitals and the thousands of other establishments such as homes, hostels and orphanages that Eva through her foundation built between 1948-1952. They hardly pay any attention to the food, medicine and money Eva personally handed out from her desk at the Evita Foundation or when she traveled to shanty-towns or remote, country villages. They may mention that through Eva's foundation several malnourished children finally received health care and food; they may hint at the fact that because of her several thousand impoverished country folk finally received running water and electricity; they may mention as a footnote that Eva sent First-Aid and food to countries outside of Argentina's borders such as Colombia, Ecuador, Turkey, Israel and the US but they will cite exploitation and self-aggrandizement as Eva's principal motive. But no matter how much they try to condemn her, the result is always the same, unintentional glorification. They loathe this bejeweled beauty but can't help love her all the same. The musical "Evita" is a perfect example of this. No matter how much it tries to discredit her, Eva's poetic image is what hovers in most people's mind long after the curtain descends. Most will remember an impeccably dressed blonde clutching a microphone and the famous taglines such as "She Seduced a Nation" or "EVITA IS IMMORTAL" or "EVITA will stir you to your very soul". These are hardly ways to represent such an amoral, corrupt megalomaniac who slept her way to fame.

This major biography of Eva Duarte de Peron was released around the same time as the film in 1996 (at least the English version was). It was originally written in French and later translated into several languages. It is very detailed and it held my interest throughout but having read the Spanish translation, this English version is a poor imitation. I'm not sure how close to the original the Spanish translation is but in comparing it to this, I noticed that the English edition is heavily edited and in some instances, very poorly translated. For those of you who can read Spanish, I recommend that version instead as it is far more complete. Having said that, Alicia Dujovne Ortiz treats Eva Duarte Peron as a flawed but extraordinary human being. After all that's exactly what Evita was, flawed but extraordinary? I guess that's how she should be remembered.

Well written account of a fascinating piece of history. Gives good insight into actions and thought process through use of a variety of sources. The detail regarding the politics of the time all help to understand Eva's actions. The book gives a fair account of the many aspects of her personality ranging from total self centered absorbtion to total selfless giving. The author takes the relationship of husband and wife out of fantasy and into reality.