What to read to find out the personal secrets of great women: Matilda Kshesinskaya, Coco Chanel, etc

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

People's diaries are probably one of the most interesting literary genres. Memories of famous people are very popular, especially if they are not only and not so much about history, but about a person's personal life. Our today's review presents the personal diaries and memories of women whose names are known throughout the world.

"My Life" by Edith Piaf

A very honest and vivid description of her life is given by the great French singer in her memoirs. Edith Piaf does not hide: she lived a terrible life, she did not always behave with dignity and correctly. Nevertheless, it was her own choice, her fate, which was no longer possible to rewrite or correct by the time the book was written. She loved life and herself in this life, she always wanted to be loved and more than anything in the world she was afraid of loneliness. Despite everything, the singer's fate was bright, interesting and full of meaning. Although it is the meaning of life that Edith Piaf has been looking for for many years.

"My Notes", Catherine the Great

The Russian empress did not keep a full-fledged diary, but even her scattered notes and correspondence with a variety of figures, who were collected in a book, are of interest. In this impromptu diary, you can learn a lot about Catherine II, and also understand the full strength of the empress's character and learn the reasons for her decisions and actions.

"My Life", Isadora Duncan

The memoirs of an extraordinary woman about love and dancing are written so captivatingly that it is simply impossible to pass by her. Isadora Duncan frankly and very poignantly describes her life, her path to success, her love of dancing. Fate was not kind to her, but the dancer never bent under her blows. She lived as easily as she danced, loved and was loved, fell and rose to move on.

The ABC of My Life, Marlene Dietrich

Some episodes of the bohemian life of the 20th century legend will seem shocking to readers. But Marlene Dietrich only slightly lifts the veil of secrecy over her past, without savoring the details and not trying to stir up a scandal. Behind the lines of a leisurely narration, the great actress herself appears, naive, modest, virtuous and at the same time impudent, rebellious and tender.

"Memories", Matilda Kshesinskaya

In the memoirs of a famous ballerina, there will not be her view of history and the events that she witnessed. But in her notes the real Matilda Kshesinskaya will appear, as she really was. She tells about herself and those people with whom her fate brought her, very delicately and with respect, regrets that her correspondence with “beloved Niki” has not survived. Matilda Kshesinskaya strings the beads of her life on the thread of fate consistently and slightly detached, avoiding scandalous details and giving the reader the right to evaluate her work himself.

My Shocking Life by Elsa Schiaparelli

She was one of the most talented and outrageous designers of the twentieth century. Elsa Schiaparelli was friends with many celebrities and competed with Coco Chanel. Her diary with a foreword by fashion historian Alexander Vasiliev in places resembles a collection of anecdotes, so wittily the author describes a story from his own life and makes comments on observations of the lives of other people.

“Reborn. Diaries and notebooks. 1947 - 1963 ", Susan Sontag

The iconic American writer of the twentieth century constantly wrote notes, but never collected them in a separate publication. Susan Sontag's son took over, tying together all the scraps of his mother's memories. Frank records about life and morality, about creativity and philosophy, about sexuality and love, undoubtedly, will be interesting primarily for their sincerity and depth.

Morbakka, Selma Lagerlef

The first woman to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature, in her book, recalls her childhood spent in the family estate. Selma Lagerlef describes the stories that happened to her and her relatives, with a share of slight sadness recalls those who were with her. When reading these stories, the reader has a complete sense of belonging to the life of the author.

"Notebooks and diary prose", Marina Tsvetaeva

The prose of Marina Tsvetaeva turns out to be no less poetic than her poems. In each line of scattered recordings, one can feel the poetess's personal attitude to the events that she has witnessed. And the great tragedy of the life of a strong poetess with a subtle soul appears in its entirety.

"Coco Chanel. A life told by herself”, Coco Chanel

A great woman talks about her life in such a bold and engaging way that I want to stretch the pleasure of reading for a long time, and then start from the very beginning, so as not to miss the slightest detail from the whole story. This book is a confession of the great Koko, who challenged the foundations and traditions, unyielding and courageous, strong and purposeful, daring and tender.

When reading diaries, the feeling of immersion in someone else's life and the feeling of looking at what is happening through the eyes of another person are mixed together. Especially for those who are interested in the topic of memories, 10 diaries of famous women, which reflected the course of history of the XX century.