“Here Lies the Heart”: The Passionate Life, Rebellious Love, and Remarkable Romances of Mercedes De Acosta
A Conversation with Robert A. Schanke, author of “That Furious Lesbian”: The Story of Mercedes de Acosta, and Isabel Steven, Coordinator of Public Programs at the Rosenbach.
Once referred to as a “furious lesbian” by her friend the celebrity photographer Cecil Beaton, the poet, novelist, playwright, screenwriter, and memoirist Mercedes de Acosta lived a life unlike any other in early 20th-century New York and Hollywood. A gifted writer and passionate artist, de Acosta never received the level of fame and success that her creative work merited. Rather, she became notorious for her same-sex relationships with icons including Marlene Dietrich, Eva Le Gallienne, and Isadora Duncan. Her memoir, Here Lies the Heart, is considered a classic of Queer literature. In this episode of The Rosenbach Podcast, join podcast host Dr. Alexander L. Ames, Rosenbach researcher and de Acosta biographer Dr. Robert A. Schanke, and Isabel Steven, Coordinator of Public Programs at the Rosenbach, for a discussion of the amazing achievements and lasting legacy of this misunderstood figure in LGBTQIA+ history.