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Nancy Cunard: Heiress, Muse, Political Idealist
by
Lois Gordon
Lois Gordon's absorbing biography tells the story of a writer, activist, and cultural icon who embodied the dazzling energy and tumultuous spirit of her age, and whom William Carlos Williams once called "one of the major phenomena of history."
Nancy Cunard (1896-1965) led a life that surpasses Hollywood fantasy. The only child of an English baronet (and heir to the Cunard s...more
Nancy Cunard (1896-1965) led a life that surpasses Hollywood fantasy. The only child of an English baronet (and heir to the Cunard s...more
Hardcover, 447 pages
Published
April 1st 2007
by Columbia University Press
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After reading this book and other biographies, I'm struck by how little I know about history. In school, history was always men and their wars and the dates of their wars. Reading about Nancy Cunard and other women paint real-life experiences, faces, and personalities onto those events in history. I had no idea about the Spanish civil war, the atrocities that occurred there not only during the war but afterwords. I'm saddened by how our country stood idly behind our policy of non-interference wh...more
If Gordon's prose is sometimes workmanlike, the content of this book is extremely thorough and Cunard's story is one worth learning about. Cunard was the first to publish Beckett, had affairs with Pound, Huxley, Aragon, and, lordy, everyone else living at the time whom you can imagine. She was a intrepid reporter during the Spanish Civil War and saved the lives of many Spanish refugees, became lovers with an African American man and was moved to explore African and African American culture which...more
Fascinating. The book serves as an interesting insight and cultural reference through the entire early- 20th century. Nancy Cunard is the poster child for the aristocrat living La Vie Boheme. She is literally the embodiment of 30s glam... intelligent, author, poet, publisher, muse, social activist, lover of many, and depressive free spirit... all goes hand in hand. Really captivating story. Loved it.
A remarkable woman, a fascinating life...This well-researched tome ably documents the life and times of heiress, muse, poet, war hero, and civil rights pioneer Nancy Cunard. She was truly one of a kind, a force to be reckoned with, and the sad decline of her final years does nothing to diminish her many achievements. An interesting and engrossing read.
Wow....just Wow. Never has a book moved me as much as this incredible story of a woman who was so ahead of her time.
I will cherish this book and hold it dear. Thank you Ms. Gordon for the relentless research and powerful biography you shared with us all. Bravo!!
I will cherish this book and hold it dear. Thank you Ms. Gordon for the relentless research and powerful biography you shared with us all. Bravo!!
Oct 18, 2007
jennie
marked it as to-read
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I am not sure yet have it haven't started yet
I heard about this book on KPFA or NPR, and months late, and 2,000 miles later, when I needed distraction in an urgent way I remembered it and ordered it from amazon.... then while waiting for it I got sucked up into Octavia Butler's world and when it came I was distracted again, so I haven't yet started it, but will soon.
This is not a fast read, which is too bad because my reading time is mostly limited to my 15 minute subway commute. It is endlessly fascinating, and (as with most biographies) I really, REALLY wish I could have met this woman. So progressive and interesting. Brave, really.
Enjoyable bio about an unusual woman who lived during unusual times.
Apr 29, 2013
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Jun 25, 2012 09:24am