Jazz Cleopatra: Josephine Baker in Her Time [Hardcover]

Phyllis Rose (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 27, 1989

Josephine Baker's fascinating life encompassed stardom in the Paris of the 1920s, a career in the French Resistance, and civil rights activism in the '50s and '60s. Rose brings Baker to life as a performer, as a cultural icon, and as a black woman in a white world. 16 page of photos.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

With the searching intellectuality that has distinguished her literary biographies, Rose ( Parallel Lives ) takes on what is for her a surprising subject: the life and work of American expatriate dancer, singer and entertainer Josephine Baker. Born in 1906 in St. Louis, Mo., Baker--whose roots were black and Native American--had endured the early departure of her father, abuse as a domestic servant in the homes of white people and the brutal East St. Louis race riots of 1917 before her childhood was over. The ethos of jazz--freedom--offered her a way out. Employed at 13 as a dresser for a touring black vaudeville show, Baker graduated into the chorus lines of other such troupes until recruited in 1925 to dance in a black revue to be launched in Paris. There her brilliantly uninhibited performances won her immediate and lasting fame ("Hips, stomach, and rump had never moved so violently"). Not simply the story of a complex and influential woman, this indispensable biography treats in full the two cultures--American and Continental--that formed Baker, and sets a new standard for critical studies of performing artists. Photos. First serial to Mirabella.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 321 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday; 1st edition (September 27, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385248911
• ISBN-13: 978-0385248914
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,893,951 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars There is more to Baker than banana skirt!, September 18, 2001

By 

Sasha "lampic" (at sea...sailing somewhere) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Jazz Cleopatra: Josephine Baker in Her Time (Paperback)

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!

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I wish that it had been more about Baker herself., March 18, 2003

By 

frumiousb "frumiousb" (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Jazz Cleopatra: Josephine Baker in Her Time (Paperback)

Jazz Cleopatra is a slim volume (269 pages of text, plus notes and bibliography) but clearly a well-researched and well-written one. Rose's extensive notes and bibliography give a small idea of how much thinking went into the writing of the book, and indeed it has the feel of something which has been carefully considered.

It is worth emphasizing that the subtitle of the book is "Josephine Baker in Her Time". I stress the point because I think that the reader should expect that this is not so much a biography (although biography is an important element) as it is a contextual portrait. Rose spends a lot of time on Baker not just as a person, but as an icon and the book is often closer to cultural criticism than "true" biography.

This is not a bad thing, necessarily. It is just that I was looking more for biography and probably more for personality and that is not what this book is about.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Tells about the exciting life of the great Baker, March 10, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Jazz Cleopatra: Josephine Baker in Her Time (Paperback)

"Jazz" is very compelling, very vivid! It leaves nothing out and informs the reader of cetain aspects of Baker's life that maybe one did not know about. She contributed a lot to the Civil Rights movement and was considered to be ahead of her time.I,personally, recommend "Jazz Cleopatra" to all who was, is, and wants to be a fan of Josephine Baker!!