Customer Reviews

Paul Robeson

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Duberman's biography of Robeson is excellently researched and well written. A balanced handling of the subject was not a straightforward task; Robeson rarely committed his thoughts to writing and aside from periods of depression in later life he wrote few letters. Duberman relies largely on the writing of his wife Essie, who was a meticulously diarist. As the author points out this is a dangerous strategy; Robeson and his wife had personalities which couldn't have been more different, therefore rely on her descriptions of Paul's thoughts and feelings would be suspect at best. Duberman tackles this challenge by conducting a wide range of interviews with those who knew Paul, thereby presenting a more balanced account of his emotions and motivations.

As far as the factual/chronological points are concerned, Robeson's FBI files, ironically, provides a detailed record to which Duberman refers frequently.

It is a testimony to the ruthless effectiveness of the McCarthy Communist witch hunt that a man like Robeson is not better know to recent generations in America. A linguist, actor, athlete, singer, intellectual, and humanist there are few figures in 20th century America who are his equal. The ironies of his life are striking. Robeson was valedictorian of his Rutgers class, and All-American actor, played Carnegie hall, and toured Europe in an age in which Blacks in America were denied the most basic civil rights. Had his affinity for Soviet culture and socialism not put him at odds with the America's post WWII anti-Red hysteria, Robeson would likely have been one of the giants of the Civil Rights movement. Robeson truly was a man ahead of his time - a radical in a time in which the Black elite was promoting patience and working "within the system".

Was Robeson a Communist? He certainly identified with his own idealized view of the "people's struggle" which was occurring in the Soviet Union (a view which, as Duberman describes, was often at odds with the facts.) To call Robeson a Communist in many aspects would be correct; he sympathized with the cause and was vexed that Black American soldiers would fight against the Soviet Union while at home they were denied their basic rights. But even the FBI's decades-long effort to link Robeson formally with the party met with failure. We have no evidence that Robeson a card-carrying member of the Communist Party.

Robeson's Communist leanings are a complex part of his story. When Nikita Khruschev declared to the world the crimes of Stalin's purges Robeson was undoubtedly greatly effected. However, Robeson never commented, even in private to those with whom he was intimate - we don't know what he thought or how he felt. Duberman is unable to fill in the blanks and resists the temptation to do so; he simply chronicles Robeson's subsequent decline into clinical depression and ill health.

A well written biography of one of 20th century America's most interesting figures.

Martin Duberman presents an exhaustive, objective examination of the awesomely talented, psychologically complex, and perhaps politically naive Robeson. I am white, and grew up in a racist family, but from the moment I heard Paul Robeson's recording of "Get On Board, Little Children" I was hooked. I was only 14, but that song, less than 90 seconds long, launched me on a journey away from bigotry that is still proceding, 43 years later. I fell in thrall to the voice, ended up owning 11 vinyl albums and reading everything by and about him I could. His defense of Stalin-era Communism is stubborn and troubling, but there is no disputing his importance as a fighter for civil rights before it was fashionable. I am not sure how those of us who were not yet adults in the '40's and '50's can fairly judge the politics of the man...especially those of us who are not Afro-American. I prefer to let his controversial politics take a backseat to his pioneer acting and singing. This was a real MAN, who could hold a stage with only his voice and his charisma and his talent, making white, affluent audiences listen to negro spirituals, union songs, Chinese and Russian and German songs, and like it. Robeson was glorious and tragic, brilliant and flawed, courageous but sometimes selfish, furious often and yet capable of the most tender lullabies. One of the most fascinating American lives of the 20th Century. Professor Duberman has done great work with this book. If Robeson interests you, buy it and read it. I'm glad I did.

Robeson is a difficult subject for a book. He was a person whose image was a symbol for both people who idolized him as a plaster saint and for people who pilloried him as a communist, a decadent fraud, and an enemy of Black people. Everyone around Robeson seemed to have an ax to grind about him, or over him, or define their lives and livelihood based on their association or opposition to him.

To top that off, Robeson was a reserved person who tried to keep his emotions and opinions to himself. He was not a writer or a diarist. He led a public life that hid his real personal life and sometimes did nothing to disavow false public perceptions of him that benefited his wife, his political comrades, his artistic career, and his financial needs.

With all that, Duberman has a tough task to carry out. He does it well here with an enormous amount of documentation, particularly on issues that protectors of this or that image of Robeson would like not to appear in public. At the same time Duberman is honest enough to indicate the gaps in his knowledge, things that will never be known because Robeson's mind was often very much his own.

For those expecting a plaster saint who rises out of the toil of the slaving black masses and seeks only to advance the struggle, this book is a disappointment. The real Robeson came out of the middle class, was an outstanding student and an all American athlete at Rutgers (then a private university), who went on to Columbia law school. His milieu was arts, actors, writers, socialities. He prefered to live in England, not the USA, and did so from his first opportunity until WWII brought him home. As soon as the witch-hunt travel ban on him was broken, he spent the rest of his life living in England, the USSR, and the GDR returning to the US only after his mental and physical health was broken.

While Robeson remained legally married to the same woman all his life (although they both contemplated divorce several times), his marriage featured semi-open infidelity chiefly on Robeson's side. In fact, particularly in the years he lived in the US, he frequently did not even reside in the same house or flat as his wife, but with his lovers, or in several cases with a lover and her husband. They were only firmly reunited in the same place when disability forced Robeson to seek his wife's support and protection and that briefly for she died shortly after their return to the US in the early 1960s. The loves that lasted and he longed for, the women he was close with, and the people he really lived with, were usually white women he met
on the stage or as a singer, not his African American wife, who used her position as Robeson's wife as a means to become a public figure and to launch her various attempts at careers.

It is of course unfortunate that Robeson came up in a generation where the Stalinized Commuist parties and the USSR were misidentified as embodying a struggle against oppression, discrimination, and racism. Yet, the picture that Duberman paints if of a man whose genuine attraction was to fighting against racism and oppression everywhere. Robeson's fire came out of the stories he learned of his own family from slavery, and his identification with the suffering of victims of fascism in Spain, Germany, and Italy. The US government explained its persecution of Robeson in part due to his advocacy of independence for the colonies in Africa and Asia.

Indeed, Duberman shows that both in WWII and afterwards, the Commuist Party which he looked to for leadership, but never belonged to, tried to get Robeson to muffle his criticism of American racism and imperialism. At times, they too added to the pressure on Robeson to give up talking about politics to advance himself as an artist. This is not surprising to anyone familiar with the CP's real history as reformists who sought to subordinate the struggle to the needs of a makeup between US imperialism and the Kremlin bureaucracy.

Even his refusal to support fighting witch hunt persecution of enemies of the CP like the SWP or his continued condemnation of the Hungarian Uprising of 1956, a real workers rebellion as close to the 1917 revolution led by Lenin and Trotsky as anything until Castro Cuban revolution, are not as important as the resolution with which Robeson devoted himself to attacking the racism, the war drive, and the imperialism of the US government and its big business institutions.

Robeson always had the choice to live a very comfortable life as an actor and a singer, by simply doing what everyone around him, including leaders of the CP wanted, just stick to music and the theater. Yet, his devotion to the struggle showed he realized what was important and what was not. And with all his warts and pecadillios, all the legacy of his mislearning from Stalinism, he is an outstanding and inspiring example of what life and greatness is really about.

This book is fair, not partisan, and exquisitely documented. It tells so many truths that I have not addressed here, says things about Robeson I have heard people who knew Robeson say for decades, but am finally glad to see in print.

This book paints not only a picture of Paul Robeson, but of the degree of evil, racism, and crime that holds up American capitalism. What emerges, even though Paul Robeson's desires to keep his feelings within himself, is the story of a heroic man whose strength was not his voice, not his acting skills, but his devotion to principle, even if sometimes those principles were wrong.

Read this book!

This book truly changed my life, forget about Michael Jordan, Jackie Robinson Jesse Owens. All are great but compared to Paul Robeson, I don't think so. Mr. Robeson should be as familiar to the youth of today as the above mentioned sport heroes; however history has shunned him. Unlike the modern day super stars Mr. Robeson believed in making social changes albeit at his own demise. What an unselfish and social conscience individual who influenced social change i.e. "Jim Crow " laws and segregation in general. Mr. Robeson excelled in so many different arenas it is mind boggling by todays standards.

I rate Paul Robeson: a Biography a perfect ten because there are no decimals in the rating system allowing for a nine point five, and the point five from perfection would come only from trivial nit pickings that amount to my desire to never have it end. Duberman, through obviously painstaking research (despite the voluminous material afforded him via Robeson's archives and the Freedom of Information Act's allowing for the research of FBI surveillance files) creates a portrait both panoramic in scope and theme and highly, meticulously detailed. He reaffirms the truism truth is stranger than fiction- and more exhilirating- by bringing us to an intimate knowledge of the many worlds of Paul Robeson- stage and screen actor, concert hall singer, athlete, academician, lawyer, linguist, political/quasi-communist/Civil Rights revolutionary, African-American youngest son of an Episcopal minister- in such a way as to have us be part of the childlike sloughing off of arrogance and ignorance that is the first step in an initiation; an initiation to the higher mysteries of knowledge of the human character and spirit in the context of the modern world; the path Duberman's incredible skill as a writer and biographer clearly shows he has taken. He shows his profound love and respect for the man and his influence of and on American culture by staring unflinchingly at everything from his sexual proclivities and many mistresses to his powerful intellect and international appeal, to his consistent challenging of the prevailing moral schizophrenia of pre-Civil Rights movement America and the subsequent ruination of his career and sanity- all within the context of his familial and cultural ties and his immense talent. Duberman makes one of many things abundantly clear: no nerve on the body politic and the cultural fabric of twentieth century American society was not touched- often wrung, by the tenacity, stubborness, courage, love and immense talent of the many avatars of Paul Robeson. It is impossible to simplify o! r romanticize a life so profoundly influential and complex without ultimately obscuring the very heroic character one- whether they liked him or not- would be attempting to portray. Duberman, in refusing to do so succeeds brilliantly. I felt deeply personally cleansed as well as enlightened about a figure whose influence I now understand has been purposely footnoted into history, as well as why he was, and shouldn't be anymore. Duberman gives a Nietzschean "Ubermensch" rendering of Paul Robeson that every human being- particularly every kind of American- will find gloriously, uncomfortably, provocatively and simultaneously both tragic and triumphant. I cannot recommend this book enough.

There are two recent biographies in my library that I am proud to own above almost all others: David Levering Lewis' two volume biography of W.E.B. DuBois and Mr. Duberman's biography of Paul Robeson. Despite the fanatical rantings of would be fascists that Robeson was a communist, Robeson was an American hero in the truest sense and in the best tradition. He was a man who recognized that all of his remarkable achievements could be destroyed by his persistent public demands that the United States live up to its proclamations of being the land of liberty in a Cold War environment of paranoia, hypocrisy, persecution, and oppression of dissenters by actively and effectively addressing the grievances of its Afro American citizens. He was a genius who sacrificed his most productive years in the cause of civil rights and justice for those who, it must be remembered, were being segregated, lynched, disenfranchised, economically exploited, stereotyped, and humiliated in every area of American society throughout most of Robeson's lifetime. Robeson courageously kept common cause with his people---and not just those who shared his color---when his successes allowed him every opportunity to serve only his own personal interests in comfort for the rest of his life.

Duberman does more than offer a biography of Robeson;he presents a biography of Robeson's times and environment that clearly demonstrates how his passion for justice and the realization of the American Dream for EVERY citizen was constantly reinforced by the events occurring around him, two examples of which are the Scottsboro Boys case and the failure of the United States government to adopt anti-lynching legislation. Duberman does not gloss over Robeson's conflicts over revelations that the ideal communist state had become a Stalinist nightmare but presents the information in such a fashion that the reader might reach his or her own conclusions. My conclusion was that Robeson's failing, if it is that, was that he could not abandon his commitment to the ideals of equality, brotherhood, and justice claimed by the Communist Party as a reality in the Soviet Union until and unless the United States realized those ideals regarding its own Afro American citizens, its poor, and its workers. Like many other prominent Americans of the time, Robeson was seduced by a hope for a dream of Marxist, as opposed to Leninist/Stalinist, communism. Unlike many of those Americans, Robeson remained faithful to the dream despite the reality. Even giants have flaws and Duberman carefully and fairly documents Robeson's. Condemning Robeson for holding fast to his increasingly desperate dream of social justice realized somewhere on the planet---as was also the case with DuBois---may serve the myopic political agenda of some who would never dream of condemning, say, Charles Lindbergh for his racist views and unabashed support for Nazi Germany or Henry Ford for his notorious anti-semitism, but it is a biased and extremely limited assessment of a hugely gifted man all too aware of the limitations placed upon millions of American citizens solely because of their color.

Despite the efforts of the FBI, the State Department, Joseph McCarthy, the House UnAmerican Activities Committee and others, no evidence has ever been presented to demonstrate that Robeson ever became a member of the Communist Party unlike DuBois who, in his NINETIES, formally joined the Communist Party only after being subjected to the machinations of the agencies of the United States government to block his return to the United States and as a last defiant gesture to those who attempted to silence him.

Duberman's biography is the tragic and inspiring story of an American hero in black who represents some of the finest qualities America has to offer the world: He fought for the right in the face of overwhelming and insurmountable odds, submitted his talents and careers to the flame of anti-communist hysteria, suffered at the hands of the government of HIS country with dignity, and never stopped believing in the attainment of the American Dream of equality and social justice that was the driving force behind his politics. I can think of many historical Americans who are held up to us as "heroes" and are far less deserving of the characterization than Paul Robeson.

Paul Robeson is not and will not be forgotten. Martin Duberman has done much to demonstrate that we cannot afford to forget this man. And those who offer obviously knee-jerk criticisms of Robeson should at least have the decency to read the book.

Duberman's biography of one of the pioneers of the civil rights movement and one of the great Americans of the last century is both accessible and academically thorough. Almost one third of the massive book's pages are comprised of endnotes, detailing and commenting on every source. However, the book is easily read straight through by a layperson, due to Duberman's writing style, which maintains objectivity while not merely relegating itself to a listing of historical events (he, at times, intersperses his own interpretations of Robeson's actions and beliefs, while defending those interpretations and not allowing them to cloud his reporting). It is also the powerful, moving story of Robeson that keeps the reader engaged. There ought to be no doubt now, a quarter-century after his death, that Robeson was a true hero, a noble man worthy of his historical vindication. Duberman's book doesn't merely hero worship, it examines the life, points out the flaws (his estranged marriage and infidelities, his steadfast support of Stalin), and gives the reader a chance to examine a life much worth examining.

Martin Duberman is as much an artist as he is a historian. He is endowed with an ability that few biographers alive today have; a lyrical and engaging style that shows you, clearly, a person's life without taking sides while still having the kind of empathy and equanimity as a historian that let's you melt into the subject matter as reader. He may be the greatest living Historian which is why he HAD to be the one to chronicle Paul Robeson, the 20th Century's greatest Renaissance man and the true forerunner of civil rights and anti-imperialism whose shoulders our president Obama stands on. Duberman's almost innate ability to put Robeson's life in juxtaposition with the history of the 20th century makes it better than any film and indeed a film of Robeson's life would be crime as you would need at least nine hours to tell it properly.
I know Paul Robeson,Jr. was not happy once the biography was first released but he needs to know from, the bottom of my heart, that I applaud him for choosing Duberman to write this incredible work on his father. The book transformed my life and it's made me a committed scholar of Robeson's life.
Anyone who loves Martin Duberman's "Paul Robeson" should also read Duberman's essay "Writing Robeson" which covers his experience as a Gay white man of Jewish ancestry in covering the history of a popular straight African America icon and the reactions he received from many Robeson friends and African American scholars and leftists. He unflinchingly challenges how much homophobia is on the Left. It makes you much more conscious that in Robeson's spirit we all need to continue to work towards tolerance. I love you Martin Duberman, you are a trusted friend to anyone who loves history and like Paul Robeson you transformed my life. Thank you!

This is one of the best-written biographies I've ever read. Don't be intimidated by the length of the book-it goes so quickly that I was sad when it was over-I missed Paul! I picked up this book only vaguely knowing who Paul was but having heard from my mother that my grandfather who died before I was born loved his music. (We're white but my family was always in sympathy with the civil rights movement). I learned so much about American history and about this brilliant, talented, complex man through this sensitive rendering of Paul's life. Paul's courage and talent, (he was valedictorian of Rutgers University and had to fight all kinds of prejudice there, such as not being able to attend parties for college students because everything was segregated) as well as his unwavering support for progressive causes such as civil rights in America and an end to European colonial rule in Africa, were inspirational. He supported these causes at great expense to himself, since he was highly popular and if he had played a "non-controversial" role his career would never have faltered.

Yes, he expressed "communist sympathies" but unfortuantely and regrettably (this is admitted by even conservative historians nowadays) this was the superpower willing to take unequivocal stands on such issues. He wasn't actually a member of the communist party, but his refusal to declare whether or not he was a communist-his constitutional right-had the FBI, the press and the public following him and harassing him until the rest of his life. As he said, America was his nation and he wasn't leaving for the USSR-his father was a slave and he intended to enjoy the fruits of his father's labor. And his voice-get one of his CD's-was so beautiful and the slave songs he sang so sad! Reading his story as told by Duberman showed what it was like to live from 1898-1976: son of a slave, talented, fighting segregation and prejudice every step of the way, and then to become a victim of Cold War hysteria. It was tragic the way this finally destroyed him. However, Duberman shows us what a philanthropic, big-hearted loveable man Paul was, but doesn't gloss over his flaws. He shows the dimensions of his character which a true biographer isn't afraid to do, and no one's story is all pretty. Among other things, Paul didn't care much about fidelity to his formidable wife Essie (who I loved as well, this was also a kind of biography of her), he didn't openly condemn Stalin when he should have, and he could be self-absorbed. But, overall, he was an amazing and wonderful man who I wish I could have known-and an amazing American every American, black or white, should know about.

PS-on a superficial note, Paul was gorgeous when he was young! Some of the photos of him don't do him justice but in this book you'll find out what I mean!

Duberman brings to life the (along with Du Bois) towering African-American life of the twentieth century. Multi-talented, committed, generous, intelligent....one runs out of adjectives to describe Robeson's prodigious skills. This biography should stand for many years as the definitive one. Just as an aside: one of the points Duberman makes in the book is that labelling Robeson a "Communist" is red-baiting of the highest order. The man NEVER actually was a member of the Communist party, although he certainly sympathized with many of its tenets. I find it sad that people such as Henry Louis Gates Jr. refer to Robeson as a "Communist" in public or on TV without providing proper context for such statements. Not only is this disrespectful, given the persecution that Robeson had to endure over his supposed "communist" sympathies, it is almost cruel.