Natalie and Romaine
The Lives and Loves of Natalie Barney and Romaine Brooks
Diana Souhami
Natalie Barney,’the wild girl of Cincinnati’, and Romaine Brooks were both rich, American and grandly lesbian. Natalie and Romaine met in Paris in 1915 and their partnership lasted 52 years. They were both expatriates; unconventional, energetic, flamboyant and rich.
Natalie had numerous affairs with other women: Renée Vivien who nailed shut the windows of her apartment, drank eau de cologne and died of anorexia aged 30; and Dolly Wilde niece of Oscar, who ran up terrible phone bills and died of a drugs overdose. Her Friday afternoon salons in her Parisian house were for ‘introductions and culture’ and were frequented by Gertrude Stein, Colette, Radclyffe Hall and Edith Sitwell. Romaine achieved fame as an artist.
She painted her lovers including Gabriele d’Annunzio,and the ballerina Ida Rubinstein. Her relationship with Natalie was constant and together they threw up a liberating spirit of culture, style and candour. This wonderfully warm, witty and insightful biography into their lives is subtitled ‘Paris, Sappho and Art: The Lives and Loves of Natalie Barney and Romaine Brook’- it’s exactly that and and Souhami’s style is effortless and leads you into the narrative fully seduced.
Souhami’s eye for detail and her enormously kind and generous emotional insight gives us not just the facts of their existence, but the feeling, yearning, passions and desires of two perfectly fascinating and indomitable women with the world at their feet. It’s a hugely positive and fun depiction of the lives of these astonishing, passionate women. Souhami’s prose and sharp humor captures the indomitable spirit of these two people but also their mystery and sensuality. It’ s a heady mix which is underscored by the seriously enjoyable detail which comes from the quality of research. I learned, laughed and found myself delighted by this pair of inspirational women.
Out now.
For more info or to buy the book, or read about the many other excellent books including two excellent ones on Gluck and Edith Cavel, Diana Souhami has written see her website here.
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