{"product_id":"ira-aldridge-bernth-lindfors-9781580463744","title":"IRA Aldridge: The African Roscius","description":"Diverse essays on the life and career of one of the greatest tragic actors of the nineteenth century. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIra Aldridge -- a black New Yorker -- was one of nineteenth-century Europe's greatest actors. He performed abroad for forty-three years, winning more awards, honors, and official decorations than any of his professional peers. Billed as the \"African Roscius,\" Aldridge developed a repertoire initially consisting of Shakespeare's Othello, melodramas about slavery, and farces that drew on his ability to sing and dance. By the time he began touring in Europe he was principally a Shakespearean actor, playing such classic characters as Shylock, Macbeth, Richard III, and King Lear.\u003cbr\u003e Although his frequent public appearances made him the most visible black man in the world by mid-nineteenth century, today Aldridge tends to be a forgotten figure, seldom mentioned in histories of British and European theater. This collection restores the luster to Aldridge's reputation by examining his extraordinary achievements against all odds. The early essays offer biographical information, while later essays examine his critical and popular reception throughout the world. Taken together, these diverse approaches to Aldridge offer a fuller understanding and heightened appreciation of a remarkable man who had an exceptionally interesting life and a spectacular career. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Contributors: Cyril Bruyn Andrews, Nikola Batusic, Philip A. Bell, Keith Byerman, Ruth M. Cowhig, Nicholas M. Evans, Joost Groeneboer, Ann Marie Koller, Joyce Green MacDonald, Herbert Marshall, James J. Napier, Krzysztof Sawala, Gunner Sjren, James McCune Smith, Hazel Waters, and Stanley B. Winters. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Bernth Lindfors is Professor Emeritus of English and African Literatures at The University of Texas at Austin.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Bernth Lindfors\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1580463746\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781580463744\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e University of Rochester Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 12\/01\/2010\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 304\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.99lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.69d","brand":"Bernth Lindfors","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":44129521533183,"sku":"9781580463744","price":34.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_35b15b9f-40b9-4702-90d8-608a4b79b1ba.jpg?v=1687464366","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/ira-aldridge-bernth-lindfors-9781580463744","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}