Marian Anderson: A Singer's Journey (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780252070679)

Marian Anderson was a woman with two disparate voices. The first--a powerful, majestic contralto spanning four octaves--catapulted her from Philadelphia poverty to international fame. A second, softer voice emanated from her mere presence: an unwavering refrain of opportunity and accomplishment in the face of racial prejudice.

Allan Keiler chronicles the life of the legendary singer and activist from the childhood manifestation of her musical genius to her worldwide celebrity. As he shows, community and familial support could not shield her from the economic hardship and bigotry she encountered in her early performing days. Early successes in London and Berlin set the stage for her American breakthrough while the triumphant 1939 Lincoln Memorial concert established her immediately as an icon in the struggle against discrimination. Keiler reveals a woman more comfortable as artist than activist. But if Anderson's intense privacy and devotion to her work distanced her from a direct role in the civil rights movement, she remained a powerful symbol of possibility.

Drawing on rare archives and meetings with Anderson before her death, Marian Anderson is a magnificent study of a groundbreaking American artist.

Author: Allan Keiler
ISBN-10: 0252070674
ISBN-13: 9780252070679
Publisher: University of Illinois Press
Language: English
Published: 01/23/2002
Pages: 464
Format: Paperback
Weight: 1.39lbs
Size: 9.22h x 6.10w x 0.95d

Review Citation(s):
New York Times 03/17/2002 pg. 24
New Yorker (The) 04/13/2009 pg. 78