Little dancer aged fourteen : the true story behind Degas's masterpiece
(Book)
Uniform Title
Author
Contributors
Wood, Willard, translator.
Published
New York : Other Press, [2018].
Format
Book
Status
Port Angeles - Nonfiction (Adult)
709.2 LAURENS
1 available
709.2 LAURENS
1 available
Copies
Location | Call Number | Status |
---|---|---|
Port Angeles - Nonfiction (Adult) | 709.2 LAURENS | Available |
Description
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More Details
Published
New York : Other Press, [2018].
Physical Desc
166 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm
Language
English
Notes
General Note
"Originally published in French as La petite danseuse de quatorze ans in 2017 by Éditions Stock, Paris."
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references.
Description
She is famous throughout the world, but how many know her name? You can admire her figure in Washington, Paris, London, New York, Dresden, or Copenhagen, but where is her grave? We know only her age, fourteen, and the work that she did--because it was already grueling work, at an age when children today are sent to school. In the 1880s, she danced as a "little rat" at the Paris Opera, and what is often a dream for young girls now wasn't a dream for her. She was fired after several years of intense labor; the director had had enough of her repeated absences. She had been working another job, even two, because the few pennies the Opera paid weren't enough to keep her and her family fed. She was a model, posing for painters or sculptors--among them Edgar Degas. Drawing on a wealth of historical material as well as her own love of ballet and personal experiences of loss, Camille Laurens presents a compelling, compassionate portrait of Marie van Goethem and the world she inhabited that shows the importance of those who have traditionally been overlooked in the study of art.