Abécédaire

by Marlene Dietrich

A collection of the icon's surprising and heartfelt thoughts on topics A-to-Z, plus recipes and photos--a wonderfully addictive scrapbook for fans.
From the wonderfully varied and witty mind of Marlene Dietrich comes an alphabetized collection of her most zany, honest, and heartfelt thoughts. Offering her take on a range of ideas, people, and items, Marlene Dietrich's ABC is an unprecedented glimpse into one of history's brightest and most enigmatic stars. Nothing is too small or grand for Dietrich's unique eye. From her entry for hardware store--"I'd rather go to a hardware store than to the opera"--to her entry for egocentric--"If he is a creative artist, forgive him"--she transforms both the mundane and the mysterious into snapshots of her own spirit. Complete with photos from her vast career, Marlene Dietrich's ABC is an unexpected and addicting treat.

Genres: Film, Nonfiction, Memoir, Biography Memoir, Biography

175 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1962

About the author

Marlene Dietrich (1901-1992) was a German-born actress and singer.

Dietrich remained popular throughout her long career by continually re-inventing herself. In 1920s Berlin, she acted on the stage and in silent films. Her performance as Lola-Lola in The Blue Angel, directed by Josef von Sternberg, brought her international fame and a contract with Paramount Pictures in the US. Hollywood films such as Shanghai Express and Desire capitalised on her glamour and exotic looks, cementing her stardom and making her one of the highest paid actresses of the era. Dietrich became a US citizen in 1937; during World War II, she was a high-profile frontline entertainer. Although she still made occasional films in the post-war years, Dietrich spent most of the 1950s to the 1970s touring the world as a successful show performer. She died in Paris, aged 90 years.

In 1999 the American Film Institute named Dietrich the ninth greatest female star of all time.

Reviews

[Kev · Rating 4 out of 5]

terse. old-fashioned. chauvinist. but brimming with world-famous-faded-sex-symbol-grandma-diva wisdom like this:

FORGIVENESS - "Once a woman has forgiven her man, she must not reheat her sins for breakfast."

CIGARETTES - "I started smoking during the war. I have kept it up ever since. It keeps me healthy."

POTATOES - "I love them. I eat them."

PHYSICAL LOVE - "Any society that allows conditions to exist in which the adolescent begins to connect guilt with physical love raises a generation of defectives."

CAMERA - "A friend of mine. We understood each other."

go watch MOROCCO (1930) and then come back and read this—it's short and wonderful

[Samantha Glasser · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a throw-away read for if you want a few moments of enjoyment. It is laid out like a dictionary and full of terms which Marlene offers her comments on. Some are amusing, others are thoughtful, and some are plain silly. I remember how much Marlene loved sandwiches which she considered to be the perfect meal. Light reading for sure.

[Jade · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating read by a fascinating lady--funny, politically incorrect and a real treasure--includes lots of Ms. Marlene's own recipes-(she was an amazing cook!) that I have lovingly saved to use in my future cooking--How do you like that for a "bam"="oh, this is Marlene Dietrich's recipe for schnitzel! A blast to read!

[J · Rating 3 out of 5]

Notes While Away

Very strange, very lovely lady. I have wanted to get my hands on a copy of this since I learned of its unusual format and saw its stunning cover art. A chance trip to a local used book retailer ended with my procuring of a copy.

There's a lot of advice in here. Some quite good and relevant, others odd, but wonderful purely because it showcases Dietrich's singular personality. I didn't expect food to factor into this to the degree that it did; the book is riddled with recipes. Dietrich is quite the fan of meat and potatoes and possibly ketchup. I found a lot of the recipes unappealing, particularly the boiled mason jar meat. The boiled fish, however, is intriguing and the Russian Salad is absolutely up my alley.

The oddest thing by far to me is still the DIY lotion. Egg whites (okay), drops of lemon (okay), and [drum roll] toilet water. Thank you Marlene but no.

[Netochka Nezvanova · Rating 5 out of 5]

one of the finest pieces of literature ever published. Would give it six stars if it was illustrated.

[M. P. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marlene Dietrich, the greatest woman of the 20th century.

Marlene Dietrich's ABC offers a unique insight into the sharp-witted mind of the swashbuckling star who put me into her pocket for life the moment I finished this book. It is an odd - queer - weird - peculiar - quite unusual - you name it - dictionary written by a larger-than-life legend who could charm a bird off a tree. And, oh boy, she did!
At the same time, M. D. is both far ahead of her time and old-fashioned for our time; intelligent and silly; grand and small. She is arrogant and opinionated and straightforward in her reflection and her thought. She is stony-hearted in her self-presentation. Despite her claiming to be a rational realist, Marlene is a practising dreamer who is acutely aware of being alive when standing in the wind.
She is cruelly studying you with her bright, blue, Berlin eyes while you are reading. If you have ears, you will even hear her sing to you: A - B - C - D - E... Bitte geh nicht fort!
There is a vagabond, almost harlotry nobility about her... but, yes - my, oh, my - we still love Marlene Dietrich just the way we did When the World Was Young.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

An odd little book of miscellany in which Marlene Dietrich gives brief opinions on various topics, arranged alphabetically. "Dark nail polish is vulgar," for example, or "I am against coeducational schools. Boys have enough to cope with without girls adding to the disturbance."

At its best when she gives her opinions on other famous people ("Shirley Booth came onstage, said "Hello," and had me crying") and, oddly enough, giving out personal recipes for everything from goulash to scrambled eggs.

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book at an estate sale, and so glad I did. This most famous actress wrote this book in 1961 and although some of her definitions are beyond dated and somewhat sexist, many were spot on for the here and now. The book goes through her own vocabulary of her version of words, writing definitions per her opinion and experience. I enjoyed her definition of “married love” and the recipes she shared.

[Gina Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are some quotable pieces in here but it is rife with chauvinism. Some interesting musings throughout but also a lot of preaching to women about how their emotional volatility, bad attitudes and inability to think logically annoys men and ruins relationships. In contrast, Marlene doesn’t have much advice for men and endlessly expounds upon her admiration for many of them.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a rather odd sort of book. Is it a memoir? An advice book? A cookbook? I really don't know, but it was fascinating! I couldn't stop reading it!

[bear_n_grrr]

bought this at a used book store for 50 cents and now all my instagram captions are gonna be marlene dietrich quotes

an icon a legend a star!!!!

[Sofía · Rating 4 out of 5]

Li o livro em português e foi uma experiência linda.

[Danza · Rating 3 out of 5]

Might try the one tip about boiling eggs right, thanks diva😻🙏

[DancingLawn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two stars: "it was ok"

A:
Another
Arrogant
Absorbed,self-
Actor

[Sina & Ilona Glimmerfee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marlene Dietrich hat hier hinter Stichworten Lebensweisheiten, Rezepte und ihre Sicht der Dinge notiert und dem Leser die wichtigen Menschen ihres Lebens vorgestellt. Erfrischend, wie praktisch die schöne Hollywood-Diva über manche Dinge gedacht hat. Ganz klar kommen hier ihre Ansichten über die Liebe, Kindererziehung und das Leben allgemein zum Ausdruck. Mögen sich ihre Ansichten über die ‚Verheiratete Liebe‘ ein wenig sehr nach der Einstellung der 50er Jahre anhören, so ganz unrecht hat sie aber nicht. Manche Punkte ihres ABCs regen zum Nachdenken an, andere sind einfach amüsant. Dank Marlene Dietrich sagt mir der Name Burt Bacharach jetzt auch etwas, der so schöne Songs wie ‚Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head‘ geschrieben hat und jetzt meine Musikauswahl sehr bereichert hat.
Ein Nerzmantel sollte heute garantiert kein Symbol mehr sein, auf das man stolz sein sollte, aber es war halt das Symbol einer geliebten oder erfolgreichen Frau ihrer Zeit.
Dieses Buch ist sicherlich ein hervorragender Einstieg um sich der Person Marlene Dietrich zu nähern.

Positiv:
- Viele Gedankenanregungen
- Rezepte
- Einblicke in das Denken von Marlene Dietrich

Neutral:
- Manche Gedanken, kommen etwas altmodisch herüber ( Ist ja kein Wunder )

Negativ:
- ---

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I tried to figure out what shelves to place this book under, but it defies categories.

[Tom Newth · Rating 2 out of 5]

delightful

[Tslyklu · Rating 5 out of 5]

She rants about American children eating white bread

[Mariska · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this in german aNd english, don't ask me why (it was worth it tho)

[Svetlana Bulavskaya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Правила жизни + ЖЗЛ + cookbook