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131st out of 174 books
—
67 voters
Isadora Duncan: A Graphic Biography
Myth and controversy still swirl around the dramatic figure of Isadora Duncan. The pioneering modern dancer emerged from provincial nineteenth-century America to captivate the cultural capitals of Europe, reinvent dance as a fine art, and leave a trail of scandals in her wake. From her unconventional California girlhood to her tragic death on the French Riviera fifty years...more
Hardcover, 144 pages
Published
November 11th 2008
by Hill and Wang
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To articulate the intricate story of a maverick, any real maverick, is no easy feat. And to tell the story of Isadora Duncan would be hard for even the most ambitious of biographers, but Sabrina Jones chose a good medium in which to attempt it. In her debut graphic biography, Jones captures Duncan's dramatic story in an impressive fashion. Who knew plain black and white illustrations could come so alive, so full of movement and feeling?
Romance, politics, tragedy, and art twist and whirl togethe...more
Romance, politics, tragedy, and art twist and whirl togethe...more
I happen to be reading this the day after I finished the Emma Goldman comics biography Dangerous Woman by Sharon Rudahl and found that Isadora did a much, much better job of performing a similar task: telling the tale of an iconoclastic, turn-of-the-century luminary in comics format.
It's an especially funny comparison because I'm so much more interested in Emma--a nails-hard radical forged in the fires of sweatshops, prisons, and international police repression on three continents--than I'm int...more
It's an especially funny comparison because I'm so much more interested in Emma--a nails-hard radical forged in the fires of sweatshops, prisons, and international police repression on three continents--than I'm int...more
In chronicling the life of the so-called "barefoot dancer" Isadora Duncan, fact and fiction must be unraveled to truly decipher Duncan's life. Sabrina Jones allows the fantasy and truth to intermingle ever so slightly, providing a captivating portrait of one of the earliest American dancing sensations. Eschewing traditional ballet practices, Duncan crafts her own legacy based on a whirlwind personality of freedom, constantly seeking to teach the meaning of creative expression to her audiences. M...more
This was good. I met Sabrina Jones when she was a guest artist for my MFA program—she’d mentioned that she was writing this book, but I’d completely forgotten until I opened the back cover and saw her picture. Anyway, a nice introduction to the life and art of Isadora Duncan. Most of the biographical details come directly from Duncan’s autobiography, but, interestingly, Jones’ graphic novel mentions in the beginning that some of Duncan’s letters belie the portrait that she paints of herself in h...more
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although i love graphic memoir, i'm still not sold on graphic biography. of any historical figure, Isadora Duncan seems most suited to the form. and yet, this biography didn't work for me. this whirlwind tour of her life gave vague insight into Isadora's history. the thought balloons and the way the story was told, if anything, made me have less respect for someone i idolize. even though Isadora's vision was articulated, she came across as flighty, flitting across continents at her whim with vag...more
A lively portrait of an iconoclast dancer. Jones does a good job introducing an out of the box personality whose life story has multiple variations to young readers.
Jones books explores Duncan's complex paradoxes: her progressive impulses alongside her traditional ones, her sympathy for downtrodden rubbing up against her sense of her own self-importance. The illustrations are simple black and white drawings that flow across the pages and between the panels. Duncan can literally cannot be contain...more
Jones books explores Duncan's complex paradoxes: her progressive impulses alongside her traditional ones, her sympathy for downtrodden rubbing up against her sense of her own self-importance. The illustrations are simple black and white drawings that flow across the pages and between the panels. Duncan can literally cannot be contain...more
While I loved the art and lettering in this graphic biography, the story itself of the larger than life dancer was rather...sanitized. Far more illustrated time line than compelling life story, this title would have been much better had the author focused in on one or two of the many juicy bits of Duncan's life instead of giving the reader an all too brisk overview that hardly did justice to the rebel dancer's unapologetic Bohemian lifestyle. One timely talking point--during a concert at Symphon...more
What a weirdo!
This book was a fairly light, and surprisingly comprehensive look through the Duncan's life filled with opening dance schools in foreign lands, celebrating the spirit of the ancient Greeks through movement, proto-Janet Jackson breast-bearing (ok, I know that's not what it was, but still)... and the inadvertently hilarious end she came to. No, it wasn't funny, it was very tragic. But I got a nice sense of both the legend and the person from this -- sort of strictly organized into ch...more
This book was a fairly light, and surprisingly comprehensive look through the Duncan's life filled with opening dance schools in foreign lands, celebrating the spirit of the ancient Greeks through movement, proto-Janet Jackson breast-bearing (ok, I know that's not what it was, but still)... and the inadvertently hilarious end she came to. No, it wasn't funny, it was very tragic. But I got a nice sense of both the legend and the person from this -- sort of strictly organized into ch...more
This a wonderful graphic biography of dance legend Isadora Duncan. Pulling from various sources, including letters, recollections of her students, and her own memoirs, it draws Isadora's life as it unfolds across the pages.
The movement of her dance is set off wonderfully, and the emphasis on her bare feet is terrific. I love the pictures of her holding the red tunic aloft in Boston, it's thrilling to see, even all these years later. This is a perfect medium for the story, which seems to come al...more
The movement of her dance is set off wonderfully, and the emphasis on her bare feet is terrific. I love the pictures of her holding the red tunic aloft in Boston, it's thrilling to see, even all these years later. This is a perfect medium for the story, which seems to come al...more
This is a graphic (black & white) biography of Isadora Duncan, the originator of modern dance.
While the graphic nature will make it more appealing people who don't want to read traditional biographies, it's not necessarily for young kids because the biography doesn't sugar coat Isadora's life. She says she doesn't believe in marriage and has a string of affairs, two of whom she has children with. (Her children all die.)
The graphics do a good job of portraying Isadora's flowing costumes and h...more
While the graphic nature will make it more appealing people who don't want to read traditional biographies, it's not necessarily for young kids because the biography doesn't sugar coat Isadora's life. She says she doesn't believe in marriage and has a string of affairs, two of whom she has children with. (Her children all die.)
The graphics do a good job of portraying Isadora's flowing costumes and h...more
I came to this book knowing a few things about Isadora Duncan, namely that she spawned the "Isadorables;" that her style of dance, which was supposed to be free of training and structure, evolved into a new form of dance altogether in which students can now train and learn choreography that is passed down from body to body much in the way that ballet, which she despised for its "rigidness," has been for centuries; and that she was kind of a boozer. Basically, I know the kinds of things they tell...more
Black and white adult graphic biography of the famous dancer Isadora Duncan. Covering her childhood through her death--this book tells of her lovers, family, and revolutionary art. The flowing lines of Jones's illustrations convey the movement of the dance. Isadora is the main focus of the panels--backgrounds are not heavily detailed and there is a fair amount of text. Enjoyable biography of a famous woman
Like dancing? Isadora Duncan is the reason we dance more freely today and not in strictly "proper' dancing from the 1800's
Set at the turn of the 20th century, the story covers many social norms and expectations of women at the time.
The strength of this book is the begining- which challeneges the reader to remove presentist views and consider how revolutionary Isadora's actions were. Sleeping around, wearing what you choose, and following your passion isn't big deal today- but at the time she li...more
Just breezed through this pretty average graphic biography. The story was a rush through the life of this modern American dancer at the dawn of the 20th century. She led a life crisscrossed European dance halls of great esteem.
Sabrina Jones did a beautiful job with this book. The drawings are full of movement. Isadora is drawn so that she becomes a recognizable character with a face full of personality- not just a stiff portrait taken from an old photo.
This was interesting. The form definitely fits the subject matter; it's always nice when those match. After reading _Abinadi_ I wanted something completely different and this was it. It was fun. Didn't change my life or anything, but fun.
I spent two years researching, writing and illustrating this book, and given the subject, I could have happily spent more. I was being conscientious about my publisher's deadline, something Isadora never would have done.
What a woman! So glad I had an opportunity to learn about such an inspirational, strong force-to-be-reckoned-with. The illustrations are beautiful too. Highly recommended.
Very charming graphic novel biography! The illustrations are well done, and the layout was well crafted to suit the expressive dance of the subject herself, Isadora.
Fine. Might have been more grabbing in color. I got it for my classroom, read it, and thought, "okay...". My students are a bit young for it, I think (6th grade).
An interesting book on an interesting woman. I love the illustrations of Isadora, the lines are clean and yet always manage to evoke movement.
Sep 20, 2009
Joe
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
dancers, feminists, everyone, history buffs
Quite an astounding life portrayed eloquently and succinctly by the author/illustrator.
History + Graphic Novel + Fantastic Art = Fun.
Scandalous! (Still, a pill.)
Fascinating woman!
Isadora Duncan changed the world of dance when she created her own style. She lived a life full of romance and adventure which spanned across the world. The book gives a brief overview of her world matched with beautiful illustrations. A beautiful telling of a fascinating life.
Very interesting. I know nothing about the world of dance, but I really enjoyed this book. The ups and downs of Duncan's life and her ideas that were so revolutionary to her time period. I think may have to find a biograpy.
so excited about this... spotted in the Times book reviews yesterday.
The drawings were great; the text, not so much. I agree with the reviewer who said that it felt like an illustrated timeline.
the art flows like dance, only p. craig russell might have been able to illustrate this story as well as sabrina jones.
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