Evita: An Intimate Portrait of Eva Peron (Hardcover)

~ Tomas de Elia (Author), Juan Pablo Queiroz (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

By the time of her death in 1952 at age 33, the charismatic Argentine first lady Eva Perón--Evita to millions of loyal followers--had become the spiritual leader of the nation, a saintlike figure whose dramatic life would inspire near mythical devotion as well as callous rumors and fierce political debate. Although she wielded privilege and power as the wife of Argentine president Juan Perón and was honored by heads of state and received by the Pope, Evita devoted her life to fighting for the rights of the descamisados, the "shirtless poor" and working-class people of Argentina for whom she had deep compassion.

This lavish photographic chronicle documents the private and public life of Eva Perón, from her modest childhood in the provincial villages of the pampas to her early career as an actress in Buenos Aires, her marriage to Juan Perón, her crucial role in politics, and her extraordinary funeral, when millions of mourners thronged Buenos Aires to view her body, and thousands of small, flower-adorned shrines carpeted the streets. Evita's dramatic life unfolds on these pages with unprecedented immediacy, against the vivid backdrop of real places and events.

These photographs--many of which have never before been published--were discovered in archives and private collections throughout the world, and include images by Alfred Eisenstaedt, Gisèle Freund, and Cornell Capa, as well as reproductions of magazine covers and publicity stills from Evita's acting career, sketches of her jewelry designs by Van Cleef & Arpels, and images of her stunning Dior gowns and wardrobe. For the first time, Eva Perón's sisters have allowed exclusive access to private family photographs.

Extensive captions include anecdotes and excerpts from Evita's impassioned speeches and letters, and with the photographs they offer much more than simply a visual record of Eva Perón's life: This book is a fascinating portrait of a legendary figure of the twentieth century.

About the Author

Tomás de Elia and Juan Pablo Queiroz, natives of Buenos Aires, were born in 1969. They are the cofounders and directors of Ediciones Brambila, based in that city, and edited Argentina: The Great Estancias (Rizzoli, 1995).

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Rizzoli International Publications; 1st Edition. edition (April 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0847820289
• ISBN-13: 978-0847820283
• Product Dimensions: 12.5 x 9.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,174,643 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A compelling visual history of a fascinating woman, March 18, 2002

By	Michael J. Mazza (Pittsburgh, PA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

"Evita: An Intimate Portrait of Eva Peron," edited by Tomas de Elia and Juan Pablo Quieroz, brings together a wealth of black-and-white photographs of Eva Peron, the legendary first lady of Argentina. The editors note in their preface that with the 1955 overthrow of Eva's husband, President Juan Peron, much visual material related to this controversial woman was destroyed. Thus, this book has significant historical and sociological value.

We see the full span of the woman's extraordinary life: Eva as a child, aspiring actress, wife, and triumphant first lady. There are "glamour shot" portraits, candid photos, magazine covers, stills from film productions, and more. We see Eva and her husband, as well as her interaction with adoring crowds.

Eva is a consistently fascinating subject: whether fiery, starry-eyed, thoughtful, amused, determined, or serene, you can see why she continues to captivate so many imaginations.

The text portions of the book are very positive towards Eva. If you have been intrigued by the Broadway musical and motion picture about her life, or by other media about her, I definitely recommend this book.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best photographic biography about Evita, January 19, 2003

By	Andrew Olivo Parodi (Oregon, United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

EVITA: AN INTIMATE PORTRAIT OF EVA PERON is the best photographic record available of Eva Peron, First Lady of Argentina from 1946 to 1952. ("Evita," meaning "Little Eva," was her nickname.)

Evita lived in a time before television was widely used, and since she was a politician she did not have many spreads in glossy magazines (once she became First Lady, her "cheesecake" portraits - taken while she was an actress - were supressed). Therefore, most of her pictures were used in newspapers, giving them a grainy feel. Often, the quality of pictures you find of Evita seem to be much poorer quality than what you would expect from something taken merely 50 years ago. EVITA: AN INTIMATE PORTRAIT OF EVA PERON is an exception, perhaps the best exception I have ever found. Most of these pictures are clear and crisp, though they are all black-and-white.

One thing this collection of pictures reveals is that Evita truly was not what would be considered a conventionally beautiful woman. She was certainly beautiful in her publicity photos and propaganda portraits (some of which are reproduced here). But in a day-to-day setting - such as the enclosed pictures that depict her having lunch, leaning against her dresser, yelling at a policeman for obstructing a youth's access to her - she was a somewhat awkward, even at times homely, woman. But she was a master of image. As Nicholas Fraser and Marysa Navarro point out in EVITA: THE REAL LIFE OF EVA PERON, she had an astonishing instinct, almost a sixth sense, for knowing how image affected people. This talent of hers is demonstrated when one constrasts the behind-the-scenes pictures of her as an awkward woman, with those gorgeous photos of Peronist propaganda. She wasn't a conventionally beautiful woman, but she knew how to make it seem as though she were.

The portions of EVITA: AN INTIMATE PORTRAIT OF EVA PERON that I found most interesting, and most haunting, were of Eva as a young girl in her hometown of Junin, and the pictures taken of her shortly before her death. There is one particularly chilling scene of Evita, reduced to a mere 77 pounds by the cancer that had invaded her body, standing on the balcony of the government house to greet the tens of thousands gathered below. She spoke, yelled, actually, about taking justice into her own hands, warning her political enemies of the day that she would "go forth with the poor of the country and leave no brick standing that is not standing for Peron!" The rise from poverty, the contrasts, the extremes ... it's all palpable in these pictures.

This woman was a genius.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best of All The Evita Books, September 12, 1998

By	[e-mail] (Hendersonville, Tn) - See all my reviews

I have every Evita book on the market, and this tops them all. Full of beautiful pictures and information that has never been released. A must for every Evita fan.