I’m over at a site called Bitter Empire today with a review of a new nonfiction book:
Behind Every Great Man: The Forgotten Women Behind the World’s Famous and Infamous by Marlene Wagman-Geller, offers a collection of short biographies, usually six to ten pages, of the wives of famous men. From Johanna Bertha Julie Jenny von Westphalen (aristocratic wife of Karl Marx) to Eva Gabrielsson (common-law wife of Stieg Larsson), from artists and scientists to dictators and activists, Wagman-Gellar investigated women who were both married to historically significant men and seemed to have “dwelled in the shadows.” With her investigations she aimed to pay tribute to the women who influenced their famous husbands. Many of the women profiled were equal partners in the events that brought their husbands’ fame only to find themselves left on the sidelines of history.
Also, it is the final day of my long, four-day weekend. Sigh. It is cold and rainy outside and bookish folk know what that means: perfect reading weather. So please excuse me while I go curl up with a few good books.
It does sound that the book is an opportunity lost because, as you say, the humour is a bit cringeworthy and there are few enough good biographical dictionaries of women in history. Good that the book provides information that lets you follow things up. Hope you enjoyed your weekend.
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Ian, yes, in a way it is. There is a fine line between making something light and accessible while at the same time informative. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t. The weekend was wonderful, thanks!
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Extremely Interesting…will look it up!! My heart does go out for you…last days of long vacations are emotional periods….this too shall pass and there will be more long weekends!
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cirtnecce, I just have to make it until the middle of May when classes let out for the summer and get to start taking half-days every Friday. Plus there is always something extra nice about the long days of summer.
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What a shame the book didn’t quite live up to its promise and it’s a worthwhile topic to explore. Reminded me, too, of those women whose successes were taken over by their husbands such as the artist Margaret Keane (as dramatised in Big Eyes).
BTW Cold and rainy here today too, though we really need the rain so are trying not to complain (too much.)
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Whisperinggums, it is too bad the book didn’t live up to its promise. There were some really good entries but overall it was very uneven. Oh yes, those women whose husbands took their work. So sad! The book does have an entry for Einstein’s wife who was equal partners in creating the theory of relativity. They came up with it together and she is the one who worked out all the maths but she doesn’t get any credit. So sad.
We really need rain here too, we are in the beginning stages of a drought because we only got half our usual snowfall over winter. But it’s hard to not complain when everyone is still longing for warm sunny days.
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I didn’t know that about Einstein’s wife. Oh dear. (I hope you get some rain too – at night, like Camelot!)
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yup. I saw a documentary about her an Einstein a long time ago and in the beginning of their relationship and marriage he really loved her and they had a great partnership. While they were working on relativity things started to sour and in the end he treated her abominably.
If only rain would fall at night and leave the days sunny! Is that how I know I don’t live in Camelot? 🙂
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Well, you certainly have your Lancelot so it must be the rain pattern!
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Hope you were able to make the most out of your Sunday. I love long weekends! I have one coming up because I just needed a little break and I can’t wait!
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Iliana, oh it was great, thanks! I hope you enjoy your impending long weekend!
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That glib style just doesn’t come off does it – I suppose it was meant to signal how ‘cool’ and clever the author felt she was but it felt rather juvenile to me.
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BookerTalk, no, glib does not work very well. I think one can be light without being glib so it’s unfortunate because I really had high hopes for the book.
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