At the time of her death in 1993, Lillian Gish was universally recognized as a film legend. In this revealing and absorbing narrative, Charles Affron uses newly released documents to uncover a life that was cast in the shadow of self-generated myth. Filling the gaps left by Gish's selective memoirs and authorized biographies, he shows how the actress carefully shaped her public identity while keeping much of her life private.
A New York Times Notable Book
Charles Affronis Professor of French at New York University. He is the author ofSets in Motion, Cinema and Sentiment, Divine Garbo, andStar Acting: Gish, Garbo, Davis.He lives in New York City.
As someone who worked with and knew Lillian Gish for years, I found Charles Affrons portrait revealing and moving. He rekindles the life of this intuitive and generous artist beautifully. Eva Marie Saint