The book might have been alternatively titled bad blood. West of eden is the definitive story of hollywood, told, in their own words, by the people on the inside. Feb 04, 2016 chandlers ghost haunts jean steins west of eden. It caters to our junk appetite for gossip about the rich and shameless, and leaves us curiously empty. Jean stein, the author best known for writing the oral histories edie.
An american place random house, brings some of its biggest personalities to life. Being west of eden, then, is a reference to the counterhistorical premise of the novel. Her book, west of eden, is an oral history or, more correctly, an oral biography of a place that has been. Lauren bacall, arthur miller, dennis hopper, frank gehry, ring lardner, joan didion, stephen sondheim all interviewed by jean stein, who grew up in the. Lauren bacall, arthur miller, dennis hopper, frank gehry, ring lardner, joan didion, stephen sondheim all interviewed by jean stein, who grew up in the forties in a fairytale mansion in the hollywood hills the book takes us from the discovery of oil in the twenties with the story of. West of eden by jean stein penguin books australia. Jean stein influenced the art of oral history in her groundbreaking book edie. Buy west of eden by jean stein from waterstones today. Feb 04, 2016 west of eden is the definitive story of hollywood, told, in their own words, by the people on the inside. Stein vividly captures a mythic cast of characters.
Advertisement stein landed on an eighthfloor balcony. An american place is told in the oral form tradition she used in her 1982 bestselling oral biography, edie. Read jennifer joness distraught letter to her husband. Lauren bacall, arthur miller, dennis hopper, frank gehry, ring lardner, joan didion, stephen sondheim all interviewed by jean stein, who grew up in the forties in a fairytale mansion in. In many ways steins new book, west of eden, continues the larger project she began in edie. Read jennifer joness distraught letter to her husband about. Jean steins enthralling new oral history, west of eden. Its like being at an insiders cocktail party where the most delicious gossip about. American girl, an indelible portrait of andy warhol superstar edie sedgwick that was edited with george plimpton. Jean stein transformed the art of oral history in her groundbreaking book edie. Jean stein and west of eden belong in this companykevin starr, former california state librarian and author of california. May 03, 2017 last year, random house published steins book, west of eden. In a new book called west of eden, oral historian and author jean stein tells the stories of five families who shaped our city, including her own. West of eden depicts the city that has projected its own image of america onto the world, in all its idealism and paradox.
May 01, 2017 jean stein, the author best known for writing the oral histories edie. Adam and eve are driven east out of the garden of eden. The first section is dominated by the monstrous patriarch edward doheny, who bribed. Jean stein, upper east side woman who leaped to death, was. Kevin starr, former california state librarian and author of california. Lauren bacall, arthur miller, dennis hopper, frank gehry, ring lardner, joan didion, stephen sondheim all interviewed by jean stein, who grew up in the forties in a fairytale mansion in the hollywood hills. Joan didion in times past, in an effort to capture the edge and feel of hollywood during its golden age of glamour and noir, nathanael west, raymond chandler, carey mcwilliams, and joan didion. American girl, about andy warhols muse, and the hollywood insiders tale west of eden. So you can imagine that when i heard about west of eden my ears immediately perked up. Steins subjects are caucasian and inhabit a certain economic and. Now, in west of eden, stein turns her lens toward the city sedgwick came fromlos angelesand a mythic cast of. Oral historian and author jean stein tells the stories of five families who shaped our city in her new book, west of eden, including her own family, the steins. An american place random house, an oral history centered on five families, in including steins own, spanning from the.
West of eden illuminates five aspiring individuals whose dreams were big and their american place is southern california, back in the day. Joan didion in times past, in an effort to capture the edge and feel of hollywood during its golden age of glamour and noir, nathanael west, raymond chandler, carey mcwilliams, and joan didion stretched language and genre to their limits. In her long awaited follow up to edie, an american girl, stein again uses oral history to flesh out the stories of the dohenys, the warner family of warner bros. The pairs correspondence is recorded in jean steins west of eden. Click and collect from your local waterstones or get free uk delivery on orders over. Jean stein, 83, died after jumping from the 15th floor of 10 gracie square at east end ave. American girl, about andy warhols muse, and the hollywood insiders tale west. West of eden on apple books apple books apple apple. Jean stein, who chronicled wealth, fame and influence. What i hadnt realized is that jean stein employs the oral history techniquewhich is to say, many voices with insider knowledge tell the story at the same time.
American girl, an indelible portrait of andy warhol superstar edie sedgwick. Feb 02, 2016 jean stein transformed the art of oral history in her groundbreaking book edie. In 2017, stein partnered with pen america to launch the penjean stein book award and the penjean stein grant for oral history to honor groundbreaking literature. Feb 21, 2016 in west of eden, jean stein continues the project she began in edie, recording our nations trickster promise. Five nonfiction stories about the seedy underbelly of old hollywood. The story continues in two sequels, winter in eden and return to eden. Jean stein an upper east side, manhattan, nyc acclaimed author has died after leaping to her suicide death from her 15th floor apartment at 10 gracie square. In west of eden, jean stein continues the project she began in edie, recording our nations trickster promise. As she did in edie, jean stein weaves together the personal recollections of an array of individuals to create an astonishing tapestry of a place like no other. The book takes us from the discovery of oil in the twenties with the story of. The title can be seen as a reference to the book of genesis. Lauren bacall, arthur miller, dennis hopper, frank gehry, ring lardner, joan didion. Jean stein and west of eden belong in this company.
American girl, an indelible portrait of andy warhol superstar edie sedgwick, which was edited with george plimpton. American girl, edited with george plimpton, that gave oral history the particular shimmer that comes. It caters to our junk appetite for gossip about the. The 83 year old womans death came sunday morning circa 10. Her father was jules stein, founder of the media giant mca in the 1920s. West of eden by jean stein overdrive rakuten overdrive. The times of robert kennedy, an oral history with interviews by stein and edited by george plimpton.
A history a compelling, occasionally gossipy, informative chronicle of the flamboyant personalities from a storybook hollywood era. Their work was praised by norman mailer as the book of the sixties. The pacific sunset on the cover of steins book looks hellish, and the hollywood sign, seen from behind, might be starting to spell the word. Feb 15, 2017 west of eden is the definitive story of hollywood, told, in their own words, by the people on the inside. Jean stein, author of edie and west of eden, jumps to her death at. Its an oral history of five iconicinfluential families whose experiences could be said to. Despite its provenance, west of eden is strangely unfocused, especially when compared with ms. Last year, random house published steins book, west of eden.
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