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Dietrich & Riefenstahl

Hollywood, Berlin, and a Century in Two Lives
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Dietrich & Riefenstahl by Karin Wieland examines the entwined lives of two iconic German women, Marlene Dietrich and Leni Riefenstahl. The book explores their contrasting paths in art and politics during a volatile historical period. It delves into how they each forged their legacies amidst the backdrop of Nazi Germany, highlighting their differing choices and the impact those choices had on their personal and professional lives.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book may appeal to you if you are fascinated by the interplay of art, politics, and personal ambition. It explores the contrasting lives and careers of two iconic women, their influence in cinema, and their roles in shaping cultural history during a tumultuous era. If you enjoy deep dives into historical figures and how they navigated fame and political landscapes, this biography offers a compelling read.

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This magisterial dual biography illuminates two complex lives that began alike but were on opposite sides of the Second World War.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Marlene Dietrich and Leni Riefenstahl, born less than a year apart, lived so close to each other that Riefenstahl could see into Dietrich's Berlin apartment. Coming of age at the dawn of the Weimar Republic, both sought fame in Germany's burgeoning motion picture industry.

While Dietrich's depiction of Lola-Lola in The Blue Angel catapulted her to Hollywood stardom, Riefenstahlβ€”who missed out on the partβ€”insinuated herself into Hitler's inner circle to direct groundbreaking if infamous Nazi propaganda films, like Triumph of the Will.

Dietrich, who toured tirelessly with the USO, could never truly go home again; Riefenstahl could never shake her Nazi past.

Acclaimed German historian Karin Wieland examines these lives within the vicious crosscurrents of a turbulent century, evoking piercing insights into "the modern era's most difficult questions, about illusion and mass intoxication, art and truth, courage and capitulation" (New Yorker).

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Karin Wieland's Dietrich & Riefenstahl is a dual biography that delves into the lives of two iconic women, exploring their differing responses to the Nazi regime. Critics praise the book for its fluent translation and insightful portrayal of their ambition. By juxtaposing their lives, the narrative effectively highlights how both women were shaped by their era, providing a captivating and richly detailed chronicle. The biography is described as a compelling and meticulously researched account that captures the essence of these two extraordinary figures.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781631492280

Publisher: WW Norton & Co

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 11 November 2016

Country: United States

Imprint: Liveright Publishing Corporation

Illustration: 25 photographs

Contributors:

  • Translated by Shelley Frisch

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 36.0mm

Width: 147.0mm

Height: 229.0mm

Weight: 814g

Pages: 624

About the Author

Karin Wieland lives in Berlin and is an historian of political theory at the Hamburg Foundation for the Advancement of Science and Culture. Shelley Frisch is the prize-winning translator of biographies of Nietzsche, Einstein, and Kafka. She lives in Princeton, New Jersey.

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