What do you think?
Rate this book
Cecil Beaton's Diaries #3
The Happy Years: 1944-48
A classic six-volume memoir of the twentieth century, spanning through the Second World War, the Golden Age of Hollywood and the reign of Queen Elizabeth II.
Sir Cecil Beaton (1904 –1980) was an English fashion, portrait and war photographer, painter, diarist and Academy Award–winning stage and costume designer.
Beaton’s third volume covers 1944-48. In 1944 Beaton, as official photographer for the Ministry of Information, was sent to Paris to arrange an exhibition of war photographs. While there he renewed his acquaintance with Picasso and encountered many other famous faces, including Gide, Cocteau and Gertrude Stein.
The war over, Beaton the photographer became Beaton the designer and he began to work for Korda in films. Then in 1946, on a visit to New York, he sought out the woman he had met just once ten years before, and everything was suddenly different. For the woman was Greta Garbo. And Beaton was in love…
THE HAPPY YEARS is the third volume of Cecil Beaton’s Diaries, a personal memoir of the twentieth century, covering famous artists and photographers, political figures, socialites, the rich & famous and movie stars.
Perfect for fans of THE CROWN, LOVE, CECIL, fashion photography, artist’s memoirs, and twentieth-century history.
Sir Cecil Beaton (1904 –1980) was an English fashion, portrait and war photographer, painter, diarist and Academy Award–winning stage and costume designer.
Beaton’s third volume covers 1944-48. In 1944 Beaton, as official photographer for the Ministry of Information, was sent to Paris to arrange an exhibition of war photographs. While there he renewed his acquaintance with Picasso and encountered many other famous faces, including Gide, Cocteau and Gertrude Stein.
The war over, Beaton the photographer became Beaton the designer and he began to work for Korda in films. Then in 1946, on a visit to New York, he sought out the woman he had met just once ten years before, and everything was suddenly different. For the woman was Greta Garbo. And Beaton was in love…
THE HAPPY YEARS is the third volume of Cecil Beaton’s Diaries, a personal memoir of the twentieth century, covering famous artists and photographers, political figures, socialites, the rich & famous and movie stars.
Perfect for fans of THE CROWN, LOVE, CECIL, fashion photography, artist’s memoirs, and twentieth-century history.
- GenresBiography
1 pages, Hardcover
Published May 25, 1972
About the author
Cecil Beaton
173 books44 followersPeople noted sets and costumes of British photographer, diarist, and theatrical designer Cecil Walter Hardy Beaton for
My Fair Lady
on stage in 1956 and on film in 1964.
Cecil Beaton first styled his sisters decadently. His unique flair for elegance and fantasy led him to the most successful and influential portrait and fashion of the 20th century. From Adolf de Meyer, baron, and Edward Jean Steichen as sources of inspiration, he nevertheless developed all his own style. He worked for Vogue for more than a quarter-century and also as court official to the royal family in 1937. A constant innovator, Beaton worked for five decades to captivate some figures of his time from Edith Sitwell to the Rolling Stones, Greta Garbo, Jean Cocteau, and Marilyn Monroe.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cecil_B...
Cecil Beaton first styled his sisters decadently. His unique flair for elegance and fantasy led him to the most successful and influential portrait and fashion of the 20th century. From Adolf de Meyer, baron, and Edward Jean Steichen as sources of inspiration, he nevertheless developed all his own style. He worked for Vogue for more than a quarter-century and also as court official to the royal family in 1937. A constant innovator, Beaton worked for five decades to captivate some figures of his time from Edith Sitwell to the Rolling Stones, Greta Garbo, Jean Cocteau, and Marilyn Monroe.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cecil_B...
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 4, 2021
If you ever wondered what happened to the jazz age darlings when they grew up or how the war changed the lives of the fabulous people this is the memoir for you. I found it very interesting and honest. There is ALOT about Greta Garbo, a whole lot.
March 23, 2025
The first half of the book is okay. The back half consists of Beaton chasing after Greta Garbo, deciding to play hard to get, and having her chase after him. It's tedious and dull. I got the impression he was more interested in Garbo as a trophy than as a person. There's also a funny paragraph where he claims Garbo hated homosexuals. It would be a bit odd if true.
April 27, 2012
Too much Garbo.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews