Podcast appearances and mentions of Carl Rollyson

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Carl Rollyson

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Best podcasts about Carl Rollyson

Latest podcast episodes about Carl Rollyson

The History of Literature
691 The Making of Sylvia Plath (with Carl Rollyson) | My Last Book with Cheryl Hopson

The History of Literature

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 31, 2025 64:05


Since her death, poet and novelist Sylvia Plath (1932-1963) has been an endless source of fascination for fans of her and her work. But while much attention has been paid to her tumultuous relationship with fellow poet Ted Hughes, we often overlook the influences that formed her, long before she traveled to England and met Hughes. What movies did she watch? Which books did she read? How did media shape her worldview? In this episode, Jacke talks to serial biographer Carl Rollyson about his new book The Making of Sylvia Plath, which takes a fresh approach to understanding Plath - and helps to revise and reposition Plath's legacy. PLUS Cheryl Hopson (Zora Neale Hurston: A Critical Life) stops by to discuss her choice for the last book she will ever read. Additional listening: 675 Zora Neale Hurston (with Cheryl Hopson) 563 Sylvia Plath (with Carl Rollyson) 654 Loving (and Reclaiming) Sylvia Plath (with Emily Van Duyne) The music in this episode is by Gabriel Ruiz-Bernal. Learn more at gabrielruizbernal.com. Help support the show at patreon.com/literature or historyofliterature.com/donate. The History of Literature Podcast is a member of Lit Hub Radio and the Podglomerate Network. Learn more at thepodglomerate.com/historyofliterature. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New Books Network
Carl Rollyson, "The Life of William Faulkner: The Past Is Never Dead, 1897-1934" (UVA Press, 2020)

New Books Network

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 2, 2025 62:00


As a novelist, short story author, screenwriter, and Nobel laureate, William Faulkner looms large in modern American literature. Yet the very range of his work and the sources for his rich literary worlds often defy easy assessment. In The Life of William Faulkner: The Past Is Never Dead, 1897-1934 (University of Virginia Press, 2020), Carl Rollyson uses both an extensive range of archival collections and Faulkner's wide-ranging literary output to assess the author's life and the development of his many famous works. Growing up in Mississippi, young William absorbed his family's tales and the larger history of the region to which it was tied. Yet it took Faulkner's journeys outside of his community – first to Canada to train as a pilot for the Royal Air Force, then his extended visits to New York and Europe – to gain the perspective necessary to best use them in his writing. After an early foray into poetry Faulkner focused on writing prose, emerging by the end of the 1920s as an acclaimed author of novels and short stories. As Rollyson shows, this fame brought Faulkner to Hollywood, where he demonstrated quickly his ability to write as well for the rapidly emerging medium of talking pictures.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

New Books in History
Carl Rollyson, "The Life of William Faulkner: The Past Is Never Dead, 1897-1934" (UVA Press, 2020)

New Books in History

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 2, 2025 62:00


As a novelist, short story author, screenwriter, and Nobel laureate, William Faulkner looms large in modern American literature. Yet the very range of his work and the sources for his rich literary worlds often defy easy assessment. In The Life of William Faulkner: The Past Is Never Dead, 1897-1934 (University of Virginia Press, 2020), Carl Rollyson uses both an extensive range of archival collections and Faulkner's wide-ranging literary output to assess the author's life and the development of his many famous works. Growing up in Mississippi, young William absorbed his family's tales and the larger history of the region to which it was tied. Yet it took Faulkner's journeys outside of his community – first to Canada to train as a pilot for the Royal Air Force, then his extended visits to New York and Europe – to gain the perspective necessary to best use them in his writing. After an early foray into poetry Faulkner focused on writing prose, emerging by the end of the 1920s as an acclaimed author of novels and short stories. As Rollyson shows, this fame brought Faulkner to Hollywood, where he demonstrated quickly his ability to write as well for the rapidly emerging medium of talking pictures.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

New Books in Literary Studies
Carl Rollyson, "The Life of William Faulkner: The Past Is Never Dead, 1897-1934" (UVA Press, 2020)

New Books in Literary Studies

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 2, 2025 62:00


As a novelist, short story author, screenwriter, and Nobel laureate, William Faulkner looms large in modern American literature. Yet the very range of his work and the sources for his rich literary worlds often defy easy assessment. In The Life of William Faulkner: The Past Is Never Dead, 1897-1934 (University of Virginia Press, 2020), Carl Rollyson uses both an extensive range of archival collections and Faulkner's wide-ranging literary output to assess the author's life and the development of his many famous works. Growing up in Mississippi, young William absorbed his family's tales and the larger history of the region to which it was tied. Yet it took Faulkner's journeys outside of his community – first to Canada to train as a pilot for the Royal Air Force, then his extended visits to New York and Europe – to gain the perspective necessary to best use them in his writing. After an early foray into poetry Faulkner focused on writing prose, emerging by the end of the 1920s as an acclaimed author of novels and short stories. As Rollyson shows, this fame brought Faulkner to Hollywood, where he demonstrated quickly his ability to write as well for the rapidly emerging medium of talking pictures.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/literary-studies

New Books in American Studies
Carl Rollyson, "The Life of William Faulkner: The Past Is Never Dead, 1897-1934" (UVA Press, 2020)

New Books in American Studies

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 2, 2025 62:00


As a novelist, short story author, screenwriter, and Nobel laureate, William Faulkner looms large in modern American literature. Yet the very range of his work and the sources for his rich literary worlds often defy easy assessment. In The Life of William Faulkner: The Past Is Never Dead, 1897-1934 (University of Virginia Press, 2020), Carl Rollyson uses both an extensive range of archival collections and Faulkner's wide-ranging literary output to assess the author's life and the development of his many famous works. Growing up in Mississippi, young William absorbed his family's tales and the larger history of the region to which it was tied. Yet it took Faulkner's journeys outside of his community – first to Canada to train as a pilot for the Royal Air Force, then his extended visits to New York and Europe – to gain the perspective necessary to best use them in his writing. After an early foray into poetry Faulkner focused on writing prose, emerging by the end of the 1920s as an acclaimed author of novels and short stories. As Rollyson shows, this fame brought Faulkner to Hollywood, where he demonstrated quickly his ability to write as well for the rapidly emerging medium of talking pictures.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/american-studies

New Books in the American South
Carl Rollyson, "The Life of William Faulkner: The Past Is Never Dead, 1897-1934" (UVA Press, 2020)

New Books in the American South

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 2, 2025 62:00


As a novelist, short story author, screenwriter, and Nobel laureate, William Faulkner looms large in modern American literature. Yet the very range of his work and the sources for his rich literary worlds often defy easy assessment. In The Life of William Faulkner: The Past Is Never Dead, 1897-1934 (University of Virginia Press, 2020), Carl Rollyson uses both an extensive range of archival collections and Faulkner's wide-ranging literary output to assess the author's life and the development of his many famous works. Growing up in Mississippi, young William absorbed his family's tales and the larger history of the region to which it was tied. Yet it took Faulkner's journeys outside of his community – first to Canada to train as a pilot for the Royal Air Force, then his extended visits to New York and Europe – to gain the perspective necessary to best use them in his writing. After an early foray into poetry Faulkner focused on writing prose, emerging by the end of the 1920s as an acclaimed author of novels and short stories. As Rollyson shows, this fame brought Faulkner to Hollywood, where he demonstrated quickly his ability to write as well for the rapidly emerging medium of talking pictures.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/american-south

Biographers International Organization
Podcast #196 – Carl Rollyson

Biographers International Organization

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 22, 2024 30:47


Veteran biographer and emeritus Baruch College journalism professor Carl Rollyson talks about his latest book, Sylvia Plath Day by Day, Volume 2, published by the University Press of Mississippi in August 2024. […]

The Ricochet Audio Network Superfeed
The Learning Curve: CUNY's Carl Rollyson on William Faulkner and Southern Literature (#217)

The Ricochet Audio Network Superfeed

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 20, 2024


This week on The Learning Curve, co-hosts Alisha Searcy of DFER and U-Arkansas Prof. Albert Cheng interview Carl Rollyson, CUNY professor, and acclaimed biographer of William Faulkner. Prof. Rollyson offers an in-depth exploration of Faulkner's life, work, and enduring legacy. He discusses Faulkner's formative years in early 20th-century Mississippi a region still grappling with its […]

The Learning Curve
CUNY's Carl Rollyson on William Faulkner & Southern Literature

The Learning Curve

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 20, 2024 47:06


This week on The Learning Curve, co-hosts Alisha Searcy of DFER and U-Arkansas Prof. Albert Cheng interview Carl Rollyson, CUNY professor, and acclaimed biographer of William Faulkner. Prof. Rollyson offers an in-depth exploration of Faulkner's life, work, and enduring legacy. He discusses Faulkner's formative years in early 20th-century Mississippi a region still grappling with its post-Civil War identity, and his early literary influences, including mentorship by Phil Stone and encounters with literary greats like Sherwood Anderson. Rollyson delves into Faulkner's tumultuous personal life, his complex marriage to his wife Estelle, and his writing routine at his Oxford, Mississippi, home, Rowan Oak. Rollyson examines Faulkner's creation of Yoknapatawpha County, the setting for masterpieces such as The Sound and the Fury and Absalom, Absalom!, as well as his Hollywood years and their impact on his craft. He also explores Faulkner's views on race and civil rights, his Nobel Prize-winning novels, and his influence on Southern literature and writers like Flannery O'Connor and Ralph Ellison. In closing, Prof. Rollyson reads a passage from his two-volume biography, The Life of William Faulkner.

Biographers in Conversation
Carl Rollyson: The Life of William Faulkner

Biographers in Conversation

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 26, 2024 48:50


In this episode of Biographers in Conversation, Gabriella chats with veteran biographer Carl Rollyson about his two-volume biography of William Faulkner, a giant of 20th century literature who won the Pulitzer and Nobel prizes: The Life of William Faulkner: The Past Is Never Dead and The Life of William Faulkner: This Alarming Paradox. Carl also published William Faulkner Day by Day, which provides a unique insight into the minute of Faulkner's daily life and relationships.   Here's what you'll discover in this episode:  The meaning of The Past Is Never Dead and This Alarming Paradox.  Why Carl chose to end The Past Is Never Dead in 1934.   How Carl oriented Faulkner within the historical, social and cultural context of his time.   How Carl crafted a portrait of the whole human being by balancing Faulkner's public, professional and personal lives with literary criticism.  How Carl reconciled the contradictory aspects of Faulkner's behaviour.  Why Carl crafted William Faulkner Day by Day and why he wrote the narrative in present tense.  Why Carl argues that Faulkner deserves to be reread as a literary figure and a still-relevant force, especially in relation to issues of race, sexuality and equality. Carl's views on the role of a biographer. https://biographersinconversation.com Facebook: Share Your Life Story Linkedin: Gabriella Kelly Davies Instagram: Biographersinconversation

The Projection Booth Podcast
Episode 673: The Ox-Bow Incident (1943)

The Projection Booth Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 28, 2024 111:11


We're wrapping up Western Month with a look at William Wellman's The Ox-Bow Incident. Released in 1943 the film is based on the 1940 novel from Walter Van Tilberg Clark and stars Henry Fonda and Henry Morgan as Gil and Art, two cowboys who ride into the town of Bridger's Wells where a messenger brings news of the senseless murder of a local rancher Larry Kincaid and the rustling of his cattle. Angela Mac and Ian Brownell join Mike to discuss this harrowing tale of vigilante justice while author Carl Rollyson discusses his book Hollywood Enigma: Dana Andrews. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-projection-booth-podcast--5513239/support.

The Projection Booth Podcast
Episode 673: The Ox-Bow Incident (1943)

The Projection Booth Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 28, 2024 111:11


We're wrapping up Western Month with a look at William Wellman's The Ox-Bow Incident. Released in 1943 the film is based on the 1940 novel from Walter Van Tilberg Clark and stars Henry Fonda and Henry Morgan as Gil and Art, two cowboys who ride into the town of Bridger's Wells where a messenger brings news of the senseless murder of a local rancher Larry Kincaid and the rustling of his cattle. Angela Mac and Ian Brownell join Mike to discuss this harrowing tale of vigilante justice while author Carl Rollyson discusses his book Hollywood Enigma: Dana Andrews. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-projection-booth-podcast--5513239/support.

New Books Network
Carl Rollyson, "The Life of William Faulkner: This Alarming Paradox, 1935-1962" (U Virginia Press, 2020)

New Books Network

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 25, 2023 53:40


By 1935 William Faulkner was well established as an author of critically praised novels, yet the low volume of his sales forced him to seek work in Hollywood. As Carl Rollyson details in The Life of William Faulkner: This Alarming Paradox, 1935-1962 (University of Virginia Press, 2020), this led to an itinerant life divided between Mississippi and Hollywood. Rollyson shows how his encounters with the politicized writers and European refugees who populated the film industry helped broaden his outlook, which was reflected in the injection of anti-fascist elements into his scripts and novels. By the end of the Second World War, Faulkner enjoyed a growing international status that culminated with receiving the award of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1950, which cemented his place at the forefront of American literature. Though a reluctant celebrity, Faulkner embraced his status by becoming an informal ambassador of American values abroad, while using his position as an unofficial spokesperson of the South to criticize the mistreatment of Blacks in the region and call for improvements in race relations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

New Books in History
Carl Rollyson, "The Life of William Faulkner: This Alarming Paradox, 1935-1962" (U Virginia Press, 2020)

New Books in History

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 25, 2023 53:40


By 1935 William Faulkner was well established as an author of critically praised novels, yet the low volume of his sales forced him to seek work in Hollywood. As Carl Rollyson details in The Life of William Faulkner: This Alarming Paradox, 1935-1962 (University of Virginia Press, 2020), this led to an itinerant life divided between Mississippi and Hollywood. Rollyson shows how his encounters with the politicized writers and European refugees who populated the film industry helped broaden his outlook, which was reflected in the injection of anti-fascist elements into his scripts and novels. By the end of the Second World War, Faulkner enjoyed a growing international status that culminated with receiving the award of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1950, which cemented his place at the forefront of American literature. Though a reluctant celebrity, Faulkner embraced his status by becoming an informal ambassador of American values abroad, while using his position as an unofficial spokesperson of the South to criticize the mistreatment of Blacks in the region and call for improvements in race relations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

New Books in Literary Studies
Carl Rollyson, "The Life of William Faulkner: This Alarming Paradox, 1935-1962" (U Virginia Press, 2020)

New Books in Literary Studies

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 25, 2023 53:40


By 1935 William Faulkner was well established as an author of critically praised novels, yet the low volume of his sales forced him to seek work in Hollywood. As Carl Rollyson details in The Life of William Faulkner: This Alarming Paradox, 1935-1962 (University of Virginia Press, 2020), this led to an itinerant life divided between Mississippi and Hollywood. Rollyson shows how his encounters with the politicized writers and European refugees who populated the film industry helped broaden his outlook, which was reflected in the injection of anti-fascist elements into his scripts and novels. By the end of the Second World War, Faulkner enjoyed a growing international status that culminated with receiving the award of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1950, which cemented his place at the forefront of American literature. Though a reluctant celebrity, Faulkner embraced his status by becoming an informal ambassador of American values abroad, while using his position as an unofficial spokesperson of the South to criticize the mistreatment of Blacks in the region and call for improvements in race relations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/literary-studies

New Books in American Studies
Carl Rollyson, "The Life of William Faulkner: This Alarming Paradox, 1935-1962" (U Virginia Press, 2020)

New Books in American Studies

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 25, 2023 53:40


By 1935 William Faulkner was well established as an author of critically praised novels, yet the low volume of his sales forced him to seek work in Hollywood. As Carl Rollyson details in The Life of William Faulkner: This Alarming Paradox, 1935-1962 (University of Virginia Press, 2020), this led to an itinerant life divided between Mississippi and Hollywood. Rollyson shows how his encounters with the politicized writers and European refugees who populated the film industry helped broaden his outlook, which was reflected in the injection of anti-fascist elements into his scripts and novels. By the end of the Second World War, Faulkner enjoyed a growing international status that culminated with receiving the award of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1950, which cemented his place at the forefront of American literature. Though a reluctant celebrity, Faulkner embraced his status by becoming an informal ambassador of American values abroad, while using his position as an unofficial spokesperson of the South to criticize the mistreatment of Blacks in the region and call for improvements in race relations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/american-studies

New Books in the American South
Carl Rollyson, "The Life of William Faulkner: This Alarming Paradox, 1935-1962" (U Virginia Press, 2020)

New Books in the American South

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 25, 2023 53:40


By 1935 William Faulkner was well established as an author of critically praised novels, yet the low volume of his sales forced him to seek work in Hollywood. As Carl Rollyson details in The Life of William Faulkner: This Alarming Paradox, 1935-1962 (University of Virginia Press, 2020), this led to an itinerant life divided between Mississippi and Hollywood. Rollyson shows how his encounters with the politicized writers and European refugees who populated the film industry helped broaden his outlook, which was reflected in the injection of anti-fascist elements into his scripts and novels. By the end of the Second World War, Faulkner enjoyed a growing international status that culminated with receiving the award of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1950, which cemented his place at the forefront of American literature. Though a reluctant celebrity, Faulkner embraced his status by becoming an informal ambassador of American values abroad, while using his position as an unofficial spokesperson of the South to criticize the mistreatment of Blacks in the region and call for improvements in race relations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/american-south

The History of Literature
563 Sylvia Plath (with Carl Rollyson)

The History of Literature

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 6, 2023 57:57


Jacke talks to "serial biographer" Carl Rollyson (The Last Days of Sylvia Plath, The Life of William Faulkner) about his new book, Sylvia Plath: Day by Day: Volume 1: 1932-1955, which draws upon Plath's diaries and other writings to present Plath's life from her birth in Boston, through her elementary, high school, and college years, to her acceptance of admission at Cambridge University. PLUS Jacke takes a look at Emily Dickinson Poem #240 ("Bound a Trouble - and Lives will bear it"). Help support the show at patreon.com/literature or historyofliterature.com/donate. The History of Literature Podcast is a member of Lit Hub Radio and the Podglomerate Network. Learn more at www.thepodglomerate.com/historyofliterature. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ticklish Business
#161: The Ox-Bow Incident (1943) with Carl Rollyson

Ticklish Business

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 21, 2023 51:18


We're going to the Old West this episode with Dana Andrews biographer Carl Rollyson to talk Dana Andrews (should have been Oscar-nominated) performance in 1943's The Ox-Bow Incident. We'll also talk about the film's timeliness and why the Western genre gets a bum rep.   Purchase Hollywood Enigma: Dana Andrews here.   Kristen's written a book for TCM and Running Press called But Have You Read the Book? all about film adaptations! You can buy it wherever you buy books.   Reviews matter and you can help us out by giving us 5 stars on Apple Podcasts! Also, tell your friends to like and subscribe to our Patreon, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok channels!   This episode created thanks to our Patrons: Debbi Lynne Ali Moore Christine Mier Danny David Floyd Jacob Haller mcf Beverly Christina Lane Jeffrey Peter Bryant Peter Dawson Sofia Copilled Ann Foster Brittany Brock Cat Cooper Donna Hill Fuckbois of Literature Harry Holland Laura Neill Peter Blitstein Rosa Melanie Amy Hart Nicholas Weerts Kayla Rhodes Andrew Hoppe Lucy Soles Willowgreene

A Life in Biography
A Collector's Item: A Dialogue About Biography

A Life in Biography

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 25, 2023 29:42


The correspondence of Carl Rollyson and Samuel R. Delany, a latter day version of Oscar's Wilde's The Critic as Artist, in the form reminiscent of a Platonic dialogue.

The History of Literature
488 William Faulkner (with Carl Rollyson)

The History of Literature

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 20, 2023 69:09


Jacke talks to "serial biographer" Carl Rollyson about his new two-volume biography of William Faulkner, The Life of William Faulkner: The Past Is Never Dead, 1897-1934 (Volume 1) and The Life of William Faulkner: This Alarming Paradox, 1935-1962 (Volume 2). CARL ROLLYSON, Professor of Journalism at Baruch College, The City University of New York, has published more than forty books ranging in subject matter from biographies of Marilyn Monroe, Lillian Hellman, Martha Gellhorn, Norman Mailer, Rebecca West, Susan Sontag, and Jill Craigie to studies of American culture, genealogy, children's biography, film, and literary criticism. Additional listening suggestions: William Faulkner - A Rose for Emily William Faulkner - Dry September Baldwin v. Faulkner Help support the show at patreon.com/literature or historyofliterature.com/donate. The History of Literature Podcast is a member of Lit Hub Radio and the Podglomerate Network. Learn more at www.thepodglomerate.com/historyofliterature. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Forgotten Hollywood
Episode 88 - Hollywood Enigma Dana Andrews

Forgotten Hollywood

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 3, 2022 22:49


In this episode, I discuss with author Carl Rollyson his book Hollywood Enigma: Dana Andrews. This is a biography of the great noir actor who perfected the male mask of steely impassivity.Doug Hess is the host1 for more goto patreon.com/forgottenhollywood

dana andrews carl rollyson doug hess hollywood enigma
Art of Darkness
The Dark Room: A Man in a Hurry, Faulkner with Carl Rollyson

Art of Darkness

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 13, 2022 54:57


Prolific and renowned biographer Carl Rollyson joins us in the Dark Room to talk about William Faulkner, the great author's time in Hollywood and more. And listen to the After Dark episode for Patreon subscribers at: patreon.com/artofdarkpod carlrollyson.com twitter.com/crollyson nysun.com/author/carl-rollyson twitter.com/artofdarkpod twitter.com/bradkelly twitter.com/kevinkautzman

Ear Read This
"The Last Days of Sylvia Plath": Carl Rollyson on Biography

Ear Read This

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 28, 2021 28:12


S3E48 Ash is once again joined by biographer Carl Rollyson to discuss his biographies of Sylvia Plath, and some of the challenges facing those who write about her. Find out more about Carl's work here:  Carl Rollyson - Works   Listen to 'A Life in Biography' on Spotify here:  https://open.spotify.com/show/30NNvRbagc74DpV44Eblip?si=YU1EBtCITvW987sZNNEqbg&dl_branch=1   And check out our Patreon page here:  Ear Read This is creating Podcasts | Patreon Title Music: 'Not Drunk' by The Joy Drops. All other music by Epidemic Sound.  @earreadthis earreadthis@gmail.com facebook.com/earreadthis  

Ear Read This
The Life of Sylvia Plath (1932-1963)

Ear Read This

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 27, 2021 42:12


S3E47 Ash is joined by biographer Carl Rollyson to discuss the life of one of the greatest twentieth century poets, Sylvia Plath. Find out more about Carl's work here:  Carl Rollyson - Works   Listen to 'A Life in Biography' on Spotify here:  https://open.spotify.com/show/30NNvRbagc74DpV44Eblip?si=YU1EBtCITvW987sZNNEqbg&dl_branch=1   And check out our Patreon page here:  Ear Read This is creating Podcasts | Patreon Title Music: 'Not Drunk' by The Joy Drops. All other music by Epidemic Sound.  @earreadthis earreadthis@gmail.com facebook.com/earreadthis  

Anominy Questionable Movies
Episode 85 Gentlemen Prefer Blondes with Matt and Carl

Anominy Questionable Movies

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 30, 2021 101:54


In which biographer Carl Rollyson and film programmer Matt Cornell stop by to talk about GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES and all things MARILYN MONROE. (Warning: contains spoilers and some content may be triggering.)

First Things Podcast
The Bad Boy of American Fiction - Conversations with Mark Bauerlein (1.14.21)

First Things Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 14, 2021 29:50


On this episode, Carl Rollyson joins contributing editor Mark Bauerlein to discuss the second volume of his biography of William Faulkner “The Life of William Faulkner: This Alarming Paradox, 1935–1962.”

Anominy Questionable Movies
Episode 70 Carl Rollyson

Anominy Questionable Movies

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 28, 2020 87:21


In which eminent biographer CARL ROLLYSON stops by to talk about Norman Mailer, Marilyn Monroe, Susan Sontag, and the art and philosophy of biography. (Warning: contains spoilers and some content may be triggering.)

New Books in Biography
Carl Rollyson, "The Life of William Faulkner: This Alarming Paradox, 1935-1962" (U Virginia Press, 2020)

New Books in Biography

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 1, 2020 53:40


By 1935 William Faulkner was well established as an author of critically praised novels, yet the low volume of his sales forced him to seek work in Hollywood. As Carl Rollyson details in The Life of William Faulkner: This Alarming Paradox, 1935-1962 (University of Virginia Press, 2020), this led to an itinerant life divided between Mississippi and Hollywood. Rollyson shows how his encounters with the politicized writers and European refugees who populated the film industry helped broaden his outlook, which was reflected in the injection of anti-fascist elements into his scripts and novels. By the end of the Second World War, Faulkner enjoyed a growing international status that culminated with receiving the award of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1950, which cemented his place at the forefront of American literature. Though a reluctant celebrity, Faulkner embraced his status by becoming an informal ambassador of American values abroad, while using his position as an unofficial spokesperson of the South to criticize the mistreatment of Blacks in the region and call for improvements in race relations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New Books in the American South
Carl Rollyson, "The Life of William Faulkner: This Alarming Paradox, 1935-1962" (U Virginia Press, 2020)

New Books in the American South

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 1, 2020 53:40


By 1935 William Faulkner was well established as an author of critically praised novels, yet the low volume of his sales forced him to seek work in Hollywood. As Carl Rollyson details in The Life of William Faulkner: This Alarming Paradox, 1935-1962 (University of Virginia Press, 2020), this led to an itinerant life divided between Mississippi and Hollywood. Rollyson shows how his encounters with the politicized writers and European refugees who populated the film industry helped broaden his outlook, which was reflected in the injection of anti-fascist elements into his scripts and novels. By the end of the Second World War, Faulkner enjoyed a growing international status that culminated with receiving the award of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1950, which cemented his place at the forefront of American literature. Though a reluctant celebrity, Faulkner embraced his status by becoming an informal ambassador of American values abroad, while using his position as an unofficial spokesperson of the South to criticize the mistreatment of Blacks in the region and call for improvements in race relations.

New Books in Literary Studies
Carl Rollyson, "The Life of William Faulkner: This Alarming Paradox, 1935-1962" (U Virginia Press, 2020)

New Books in Literary Studies

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 1, 2020 53:40


By 1935 William Faulkner was well established as an author of critically praised novels, yet the low volume of his sales forced him to seek work in Hollywood. As Carl Rollyson details in The Life of William Faulkner: This Alarming Paradox, 1935-1962 (University of Virginia Press, 2020), this led to an itinerant life divided between Mississippi and Hollywood. Rollyson shows how his encounters with the politicized writers and European refugees who populated the film industry helped broaden his outlook, which was reflected in the injection of anti-fascist elements into his scripts and novels. By the end of the Second World War, Faulkner enjoyed a growing international status that culminated with receiving the award of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1950, which cemented his place at the forefront of American literature. Though a reluctant celebrity, Faulkner embraced his status by becoming an informal ambassador of American values abroad, while using his position as an unofficial spokesperson of the South to criticize the mistreatment of Blacks in the region and call for improvements in race relations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New Books in History
Carl Rollyson, "The Life of William Faulkner: This Alarming Paradox, 1935-1962" (U Virginia Press, 2020)

New Books in History

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 1, 2020 53:40


By 1935 William Faulkner was well established as an author of critically praised novels, yet the low volume of his sales forced him to seek work in Hollywood. As Carl Rollyson details in The Life of William Faulkner: This Alarming Paradox, 1935-1962 (University of Virginia Press, 2020), this led to an itinerant life divided between Mississippi and Hollywood. Rollyson shows how his encounters with the politicized writers and European refugees who populated the film industry helped broaden his outlook, which was reflected in the injection of anti-fascist elements into his scripts and novels. By the end of the Second World War, Faulkner enjoyed a growing international status that culminated with receiving the award of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1950, which cemented his place at the forefront of American literature. Though a reluctant celebrity, Faulkner embraced his status by becoming an informal ambassador of American values abroad, while using his position as an unofficial spokesperson of the South to criticize the mistreatment of Blacks in the region and call for improvements in race relations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New Books in American Studies
Carl Rollyson, "The Life of William Faulkner: This Alarming Paradox, 1935-1962" (U Virginia Press, 2020)

New Books in American Studies

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 1, 2020 53:40


By 1935 William Faulkner was well established as an author of critically praised novels, yet the low volume of his sales forced him to seek work in Hollywood. As Carl Rollyson details in The Life of William Faulkner: This Alarming Paradox, 1935-1962 (University of Virginia Press, 2020), this led to an itinerant life divided between Mississippi and Hollywood. Rollyson shows how his encounters with the politicized writers and European refugees who populated the film industry helped broaden his outlook, which was reflected in the injection of anti-fascist elements into his scripts and novels. By the end of the Second World War, Faulkner enjoyed a growing international status that culminated with receiving the award of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1950, which cemented his place at the forefront of American literature. Though a reluctant celebrity, Faulkner embraced his status by becoming an informal ambassador of American values abroad, while using his position as an unofficial spokesperson of the South to criticize the mistreatment of Blacks in the region and call for improvements in race relations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New Books Network
Carl Rollyson, "The Life of William Faulkner: This Alarming Paradox, 1935-1962" (U Virginia Press, 2020)

New Books Network

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 1, 2020 53:40


By 1935 William Faulkner was well established as an author of critically praised novels, yet the low volume of his sales forced him to seek work in Hollywood. As Carl Rollyson details in The Life of William Faulkner: This Alarming Paradox, 1935-1962 (University of Virginia Press, 2020), this led to an itinerant life divided between Mississippi and Hollywood. Rollyson shows how his encounters with the politicized writers and European refugees who populated the film industry helped broaden his outlook, which was reflected in the injection of anti-fascist elements into his scripts and novels. By the end of the Second World War, Faulkner enjoyed a growing international status that culminated with receiving the award of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1950, which cemented his place at the forefront of American literature. Though a reluctant celebrity, Faulkner embraced his status by becoming an informal ambassador of American values abroad, while using his position as an unofficial spokesperson of the South to criticize the mistreatment of Blacks in the region and call for improvements in race relations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Starstyle®-Be the Star You Are!®
Cultivating Gratitude, Last Days of Sylvia Plath, Life Of William Faulkner, Mixed Harvest

Starstyle®-Be the Star You Are!®

Play Episode Listen Later May 20, 2020 52:54


Gardening is not a hobby; it is an essential part of being. Gardening is a survival skill and an art form. This lockdown has sparked an increased appreciation for the solitude and splendor of gardening. Goddess Gardener, Cynthia Brian, helps you cultivate artful gratitude. Two books will be discussed by author Carl Rollyson,,The Last Days of Sylvia Plath and The Life of William Faulkner. The Last Days of Sylvia Plath highlights how a writer can be shaped after their death and the subsequent fallout from posthumous literary editing. Rollyson brings together a vast range of source materials, drawing a sharp and convincing portrait of Faulkner. After millennia on earth with little impact, the inadvertent transition from hunting and gathering to agriculture happened within a few thousand years. Mixed Harvest by Rob Swigart is the story of the Sedentary Divide, the most significant event in human history. Before, humans followed their food; after, diet abandoned wild foods.

UVA Press Presents
UVA Press Presents: The Life of William Faulkner

UVA Press Presents

Play Episode Listen Later May 6, 2020 18:26


Carl Rollyson has a new two volume biography of William Faulkner hot off the presses. Professor Emeritus Stephen Railton asks him about what drew him to Faulkner, what his biography brings to Faulkner scholarship, and the nature of biography and literary criticism.

New Books in History
Carl Rollyson, "The Life of William Faulkner: The Past Is Never Dead, 1897-1934" (UVA Press, 2020)

New Books in History

Play Episode Listen Later May 4, 2020 57:57


As a novelist, short story author, screenwriter, and Nobel laureate, William Faulkner looms large in modern American literature. Yet the very range of his work and the sources for his rich literary worlds often defy easy assessment. In The Life of William Faulkner: The Past Is Never Dead, 1897-1934 (University of Virginia Press, 2020), Carl Rollyson uses both an extensive range of archival collections and Faulkner’s wide-ranging literary output to assess the author’s life and the development of his many famous works. Growing up in Mississippi, young William absorbed his family’s tales and the larger history of the region to which it was tied. Yet it took Faulkner’s journeys outside of his community – first to Canada to train as a pilot for the Royal Air Force, then his extended visits to New York and Europe – to gain the perspective necessary to best use them in his writing. After an early foray into poetry Faulkner focused on writing prose, emerging by the end of the 1920s as an acclaimed author of novels and short stories. As Rollyson shows, this fame brought Faulkner to Hollywood, where he demonstrated quickly his ability to write as well for the rapidly emerging medium of talking pictures.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New Books in the American South
Carl Rollyson, "The Life of William Faulkner: The Past Is Never Dead, 1897-1934" (UVA Press, 2020)

New Books in the American South

Play Episode Listen Later May 4, 2020 57:57


As a novelist, short story author, screenwriter, and Nobel laureate, William Faulkner looms large in modern American literature. Yet the very range of his work and the sources for his rich literary worlds often defy easy assessment. In The Life of William Faulkner: The Past Is Never Dead, 1897-1934 (University of Virginia Press, 2020), Carl Rollyson uses both an extensive range of archival collections and Faulkner’s wide-ranging literary output to assess the author’s life and the development of his many famous works. Growing up in Mississippi, young William absorbed his family’s tales and the larger history of the region to which it was tied. Yet it took Faulkner’s journeys outside of his community – first to Canada to train as a pilot for the Royal Air Force, then his extended visits to New York and Europe – to gain the perspective necessary to best use them in his writing. After an early foray into poetry Faulkner focused on writing prose, emerging by the end of the 1920s as an acclaimed author of novels and short stories. As Rollyson shows, this fame brought Faulkner to Hollywood, where he demonstrated quickly his ability to write as well for the rapidly emerging medium of talking pictures. 

New Books Network
Carl Rollyson, "The Life of William Faulkner: The Past Is Never Dead, 1897-1934" (UVA Press, 2020)

New Books Network

Play Episode Listen Later May 4, 2020 57:57


As a novelist, short story author, screenwriter, and Nobel laureate, William Faulkner looms large in modern American literature. Yet the very range of his work and the sources for his rich literary worlds often defy easy assessment. In The Life of William Faulkner: The Past Is Never Dead, 1897-1934 (University of Virginia Press, 2020), Carl Rollyson uses both an extensive range of archival collections and Faulkner’s wide-ranging literary output to assess the author’s life and the development of his many famous works. Growing up in Mississippi, young William absorbed his family’s tales and the larger history of the region to which it was tied. Yet it took Faulkner’s journeys outside of his community – first to Canada to train as a pilot for the Royal Air Force, then his extended visits to New York and Europe – to gain the perspective necessary to best use them in his writing. After an early foray into poetry Faulkner focused on writing prose, emerging by the end of the 1920s as an acclaimed author of novels and short stories. As Rollyson shows, this fame brought Faulkner to Hollywood, where he demonstrated quickly his ability to write as well for the rapidly emerging medium of talking pictures.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New Books in Literary Studies
Carl Rollyson, "The Life of William Faulkner: The Past Is Never Dead, 1897-1934" (UVA Press, 2020)

New Books in Literary Studies

Play Episode Listen Later May 4, 2020 57:57


As a novelist, short story author, screenwriter, and Nobel laureate, William Faulkner looms large in modern American literature. Yet the very range of his work and the sources for his rich literary worlds often defy easy assessment. In The Life of William Faulkner: The Past Is Never Dead, 1897-1934 (University of Virginia Press, 2020), Carl Rollyson uses both an extensive range of archival collections and Faulkner’s wide-ranging literary output to assess the author’s life and the development of his many famous works. Growing up in Mississippi, young William absorbed his family’s tales and the larger history of the region to which it was tied. Yet it took Faulkner’s journeys outside of his community – first to Canada to train as a pilot for the Royal Air Force, then his extended visits to New York and Europe – to gain the perspective necessary to best use them in his writing. After an early foray into poetry Faulkner focused on writing prose, emerging by the end of the 1920s as an acclaimed author of novels and short stories. As Rollyson shows, this fame brought Faulkner to Hollywood, where he demonstrated quickly his ability to write as well for the rapidly emerging medium of talking pictures.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New Books in American Studies
Carl Rollyson, "The Life of William Faulkner: The Past Is Never Dead, 1897-1934" (UVA Press, 2020)

New Books in American Studies

Play Episode Listen Later May 4, 2020 57:57


As a novelist, short story author, screenwriter, and Nobel laureate, William Faulkner looms large in modern American literature. Yet the very range of his work and the sources for his rich literary worlds often defy easy assessment. In The Life of William Faulkner: The Past Is Never Dead, 1897-1934 (University of Virginia Press, 2020), Carl Rollyson uses both an extensive range of archival collections and Faulkner’s wide-ranging literary output to assess the author’s life and the development of his many famous works. Growing up in Mississippi, young William absorbed his family’s tales and the larger history of the region to which it was tied. Yet it took Faulkner’s journeys outside of his community – first to Canada to train as a pilot for the Royal Air Force, then his extended visits to New York and Europe – to gain the perspective necessary to best use them in his writing. After an early foray into poetry Faulkner focused on writing prose, emerging by the end of the 1920s as an acclaimed author of novels and short stories. As Rollyson shows, this fame brought Faulkner to Hollywood, where he demonstrated quickly his ability to write as well for the rapidly emerging medium of talking pictures.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New Books in Biography
Carl Rollyson, "The Life of William Faulkner: The Past Is Never Dead, 1897-1934" (UVA Press, 2020)

New Books in Biography

Play Episode Listen Later May 4, 2020 57:57


As a novelist, short story author, screenwriter, and Nobel laureate, William Faulkner looms large in modern American literature. Yet the very range of his work and the sources for his rich literary worlds often defy easy assessment. In The Life of William Faulkner: The Past Is Never Dead, 1897-1934 (University of Virginia Press, 2020), Carl Rollyson uses both an extensive range of archival collections and Faulkner’s wide-ranging literary output to assess the author’s life and the development of his many famous works. Growing up in Mississippi, young William absorbed his family’s tales and the larger history of the region to which it was tied. Yet it took Faulkner’s journeys outside of his community – first to Canada to train as a pilot for the Royal Air Force, then his extended visits to New York and Europe – to gain the perspective necessary to best use them in his writing. After an early foray into poetry Faulkner focused on writing prose, emerging by the end of the 1920s as an acclaimed author of novels and short stories. As Rollyson shows, this fame brought Faulkner to Hollywood, where he demonstrated quickly his ability to write as well for the rapidly emerging medium of talking pictures.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

First Things Podcast
Who Was William Faulkner? - Conversations with Mark Bauerlein (4.27.20)

First Things Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 27, 2020 33:57


Carl Rollyson discusses his book “The Life of William Faulkner: The Past Is Never Dead, 1897-1934.“

True Stories Of Tinseltown
I talk to Dana Andrews biographer, Carl Rollyson. We talk Dana’s life, opera singing, alcoholism, and Joan Crawford wanted him…and not for gin rummy..

True Stories Of Tinseltown

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 18, 2020 62:37


I talk to author Carl Rollyson on his fab biography on one of my faves and I believe very underrated Dana Andrews. It's called Hollywood Enigma..Dana Andrews. Its a great read.Carl had access to Dana's journals that he wrote for ten years, and much info given to him by Danas Daughter.  Find out how sensitive Dana was. He saved love letters, loved his wife and family. Dana was not perfect, he was an alcoholic. His wife filed for divorce to shake Dana up to get help with his drinking. He did. They stayed married. Funny stories about Joan Crawford and Dana. Alice Faye and her big time crush on Dana, while filming Fallen Angel. The tragic death of his youngest son and his one known infidelity. He was a private guy that loved his family, but has his demons.  Thanks so much to Carl for being a great guest. All about Carl www.carlrollyson.com Mostly Thanks to all the listeners. I have some more great stuff coming up.    Much love, Grace www.truestoriesoftinseltown.com www.truestoriesoftinseltown.podbean.com https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-stories-of-tinseltown/id1363744889 I'm also on you tube, spotify, google play, playerfm, racketeer radio and anywhere podcasts are posted.  Check out my Facebook page. I add lots of new content.  www.facebook.com/truestoriesoftinseltown        

Better Known
Carl Rollyson

Better Known

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 4, 2019 27:52


Carl Rollyson discusses with Ivan six things which he thinks should be better known. You can read more about Carl and his books at www.carlrollyson.com. Harriet Hume by Rebecca West https://www.nybooks.com/articles/1982/08/12/staying-the-course/ The Searching Wind by Lillian Hellmann https://www.timeout.com/london/film/the-searching-wind Fallen Angel http://www.noiroftheweek.com/2005/07/fallen-angel-1945-72005.html Clash by Night https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clash_by_Night The Mansion by William Faulkner https://brickmag.com/the-mansion-by-william-faulkner/ Plutarch award for biography https://biographersinternational.org/topic/plutarch-award/

Marilyn Monroe Radio
Episode 11 - A Conversation with Carl Rollyson - Marilyn Monroe Radio - By Samantha McLaughlin

Marilyn Monroe Radio

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 24, 2018 30:02


Join me as I have a conversation with treasured author and Marilyn Monroe biographer, Carl Rollyson. Carl graciously shares his process and experiences in writing his books over the years. Cheers, Samantha McLaughlin

New Books in American Studies
Carl Rollyson, “Hollywood Enigma: Dana Andrews” (University Press of Mississippi, 2012)

New Books in American Studies

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 15, 2013 56:39


Dana Andrews was one of the major films stars of the 1940s, and yet he was never nominated for an Academy Award. The posterboy for the ‘male mask’ archetype that typified the decade, Andrews portrayed the ‘masculine ideal of steely impassivity’ in such classics as Laura and Fallen Angel. In Hollywood Enigma: Dana Andrews(University Press of Mississippi, 2012) biographer Carl Rollyson cracks the mask, providing intimate insight into Andrews’s extraordinary talent and his life. Perhaps the most striking aspect of Rollyson’s account is that, in the end, Andrews appears to have been beloved by everyone. Often, biographies- particularly biographies of Hollywood stars- batter one’s affection for their subjects, illuminating horrible personality traits or an atrocious work ethic or a cruelty towards children, animals, and/or wives. Hollywood Enigma does no such thing. Rather, it tells the story of a man who, in Rollyson’s words, ‘always showed up for work on time, always knew his lines, and was never less than a gentleman.’ That Hollywood Enigma is about a nice man doesn’t make it any less interesting. Origin stories in biographies are notoriously tedious- long lists of grandfather’s grandfather’s grandfather, like something out of Genesis- but Rollyson lays out Andrews’s story at a brisk and engaging pace. Born in rural Mississippi (a town with such an exquisite sense of humor that it christened itself ‘Don’t’ solely so that its postal abbreviation might be ‘Don’t, Miss.’), he grew up in Texas then moved to California, where he worked as an accountant, a gas station attendant, and at various other odd jobs before an employer helped finance his lessons in opera. That, in turn, led to a gig at the community theater and, nine years after setting foot in L.A., Andrews appeared onscreen. Andrews would a remain a popular star through the 1940s, only to drift into B-movies in the 1950s and 1960s. But he would resurface in the 1970s, hitting upon something of a second act when he began publicly discussing his struggle with alcoholism. Andrews helped de-stigmatize alcoholism- a disease that was still taboo- while also reframing the way people thought about alcoholics. Hollywood Enigma is, ultimately, the story of a man who, in an industry known for its frivolity and excesses, stood out as an enigma precisely because he knew who he was.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New Books in Biography
Carl Rollyson, “Hollywood Enigma: Dana Andrews” (University Press of Mississippi, 2012)

New Books in Biography

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 15, 2013 56:39


Dana Andrews was one of the major films stars of the 1940s, and yet he was never nominated for an Academy Award. The posterboy for the ‘male mask’ archetype that typified the decade, Andrews portrayed the ‘masculine ideal of steely impassivity’ in such classics as Laura and Fallen Angel. In Hollywood Enigma: Dana Andrews(University Press of Mississippi, 2012) biographer Carl Rollyson cracks the mask, providing intimate insight into Andrews’s extraordinary talent and his life. Perhaps the most striking aspect of Rollyson’s account is that, in the end, Andrews appears to have been beloved by everyone. Often, biographies- particularly biographies of Hollywood stars- batter one’s affection for their subjects, illuminating horrible personality traits or an atrocious work ethic or a cruelty towards children, animals, and/or wives. Hollywood Enigma does no such thing. Rather, it tells the story of a man who, in Rollyson’s words, ‘always showed up for work on time, always knew his lines, and was never less than a gentleman.’ That Hollywood Enigma is about a nice man doesn’t make it any less interesting. Origin stories in biographies are notoriously tedious- long lists of grandfather’s grandfather’s grandfather, like something out of Genesis- but Rollyson lays out Andrews’s story at a brisk and engaging pace. Born in rural Mississippi (a town with such an exquisite sense of humor that it christened itself ‘Don’t’ solely so that its postal abbreviation might be ‘Don’t, Miss.’), he grew up in Texas then moved to California, where he worked as an accountant, a gas station attendant, and at various other odd jobs before an employer helped finance his lessons in opera. That, in turn, led to a gig at the community theater and, nine years after setting foot in L.A., Andrews appeared onscreen. Andrews would a remain a popular star through the 1940s, only to drift into B-movies in the 1950s and 1960s. But he would resurface in the 1970s, hitting upon something of a second act when he began publicly discussing his struggle with alcoholism. Andrews helped de-stigmatize alcoholism- a disease that was still taboo- while also reframing the way people thought about alcoholics. Hollywood Enigma is, ultimately, the story of a man who, in an industry known for its frivolity and excesses, stood out as an enigma precisely because he knew who he was.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New Books in History
Carl Rollyson, “Hollywood Enigma: Dana Andrews” (University Press of Mississippi, 2012)

New Books in History

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 15, 2013 56:39


Dana Andrews was one of the major films stars of the 1940s, and yet he was never nominated for an Academy Award. The posterboy for the ‘male mask’ archetype that typified the decade, Andrews portrayed the ‘masculine ideal of steely impassivity’ in such classics as Laura and Fallen Angel. In Hollywood Enigma: Dana Andrews(University Press of Mississippi, 2012) biographer Carl Rollyson cracks the mask, providing intimate insight into Andrews’s extraordinary talent and his life. Perhaps the most striking aspect of Rollyson’s account is that, in the end, Andrews appears to have been beloved by everyone. Often, biographies- particularly biographies of Hollywood stars- batter one’s affection for their subjects, illuminating horrible personality traits or an atrocious work ethic or a cruelty towards children, animals, and/or wives. Hollywood Enigma does no such thing. Rather, it tells the story of a man who, in Rollyson’s words, ‘always showed up for work on time, always knew his lines, and was never less than a gentleman.’ That Hollywood Enigma is about a nice man doesn’t make it any less interesting. Origin stories in biographies are notoriously tedious- long lists of grandfather’s grandfather’s grandfather, like something out of Genesis- but Rollyson lays out Andrews’s story at a brisk and engaging pace. Born in rural Mississippi (a town with such an exquisite sense of humor that it christened itself ‘Don’t’ solely so that its postal abbreviation might be ‘Don’t, Miss.’), he grew up in Texas then moved to California, where he worked as an accountant, a gas station attendant, and at various other odd jobs before an employer helped finance his lessons in opera. That, in turn, led to a gig at the community theater and, nine years after setting foot in L.A., Andrews appeared onscreen. Andrews would a remain a popular star through the 1940s, only to drift into B-movies in the 1950s and 1960s. But he would resurface in the 1970s, hitting upon something of a second act when he began publicly discussing his struggle with alcoholism. Andrews helped de-stigmatize alcoholism- a disease that was still taboo- while also reframing the way people thought about alcoholics. Hollywood Enigma is, ultimately, the story of a man who, in an industry known for its frivolity and excesses, stood out as an enigma precisely because he knew who he was.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New Books Network
Carl Rollyson, “Hollywood Enigma: Dana Andrews” (University Press of Mississippi, 2012)

New Books Network

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 15, 2013 56:39


Dana Andrews was one of the major films stars of the 1940s, and yet he was never nominated for an Academy Award. The posterboy for the ‘male mask’ archetype that typified the decade, Andrews portrayed the ‘masculine ideal of steely impassivity’ in such classics as Laura and Fallen Angel. In Hollywood Enigma: Dana Andrews(University Press of Mississippi, 2012) biographer Carl Rollyson cracks the mask, providing intimate insight into Andrews’s extraordinary talent and his life. Perhaps the most striking aspect of Rollyson’s account is that, in the end, Andrews appears to have been beloved by everyone. Often, biographies- particularly biographies of Hollywood stars- batter one’s affection for their subjects, illuminating horrible personality traits or an atrocious work ethic or a cruelty towards children, animals, and/or wives. Hollywood Enigma does no such thing. Rather, it tells the story of a man who, in Rollyson’s words, ‘always showed up for work on time, always knew his lines, and was never less than a gentleman.’ That Hollywood Enigma is about a nice man doesn’t make it any less interesting. Origin stories in biographies are notoriously tedious- long lists of grandfather’s grandfather’s grandfather, like something out of Genesis- but Rollyson lays out Andrews’s story at a brisk and engaging pace. Born in rural Mississippi (a town with such an exquisite sense of humor that it christened itself ‘Don’t’ solely so that its postal abbreviation might be ‘Don’t, Miss.’), he grew up in Texas then moved to California, where he worked as an accountant, a gas station attendant, and at various other odd jobs before an employer helped finance his lessons in opera. That, in turn, led to a gig at the community theater and, nine years after setting foot in L.A., Andrews appeared onscreen. Andrews would a remain a popular star through the 1940s, only to drift into B-movies in the 1950s and 1960s. But he would resurface in the 1970s, hitting upon something of a second act when he began publicly discussing his struggle with alcoholism. Andrews helped de-stigmatize alcoholism- a disease that was still taboo- while also reframing the way people thought about alcoholics. Hollywood Enigma is, ultimately, the story of a man who, in an industry known for its frivolity and excesses, stood out as an enigma precisely because he knew who he was.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices