The Life, Music, and Times of Carlos Gardel (Pitt Latin American Series) - Softcover

Collier, Simon

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9780822984986: The Life, Music, and Times of Carlos Gardel (Pitt Latin American Series)

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0822984989 ISBN 13: 9780822984986

Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1986

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In the first biography in English of the great Argentinian tango singer Carlos Gardel (1890-1935), Collier traces his rise from very modest beginnings to become the first genuine “superstar” of twentieth-century Latin America. In his late teens, Gardel won local fame in the barrios of Buenos Aires singing in cafes and political clubs. By the 1920s, after he switched to tango singing, the songs he wrote and sang enjoyed instant popularity and have become classics of the genre. He began making movies in the 1930s, quickly establishing himself as the most popular star of the Spanish-language cinema, and at the time of his death Paramount was planning to launch his Hollywood career.

Collier's biography focuses on Gardel's artistic career and achievements but also sets his life story within the context of the tango tradition, of early twentieth-century Argentina, and of the history of popular entertainment.

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About the Author:

Simon Collier was reader in history at the University of Essex, England.

From Library Journal:

The title of this study is a giveaway to its contents: worthy, comprehensive, and ponderous. In recording the life of Gardel, an Argentinian singer who popularized the tango in France, Spain, and the United States, the author has produced a narrative as dull as the tango is sparkling. Gardel, whom Collier compares to Maurice Chevalier and Al Jolson, rose from a childhood in the Buenos Aires slums to success as a singer and Latin American film star in the 1930s and died in a plane crash at the height of his popularity. This book does an excellent job of placing Gardel and tango music in the context of Argentinian society. However, despite the recent release of a film on Gardel, it is only recommended for Latin American and comprehensive music collections. Andrea Caron Kempf, Johnson Cty. Community Coll. Lib., Overland Park, Kan.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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