An Illuminated Life

Belle da Costa Greene's Journey from Prejudice to Privilege

De: Heidi Ardizzone

Narrado por: Robin Miles

The secret life of the sensational woman behind the Morgan masterpieces, who lit up New York society.

What would you give up to achieve your dream? When J. P. Morgan hired Belle da Costa Greene in 1905 to organize his rare book and manuscript collection, she had only her personality and a few years of experience to recommend her. Ten years later, she had shaped the famous Pierpont Morgan Library collection and was a proto-celebrity in New York and the art world, renowned for her self-made expertise, her acerbic wit, and her flirtatious relationships. Born to a family of free people of color, Greene changed her name and invented a Portuguese grandmother to enter White society. In her new world, she dined both at the tables of the highest society and with bohemian artists and activists. She also engaged in a decades-long affair with art critic Bernard Berenson. Greene is pure fascination - the buyer of illuminated manuscripts who attracted others to her like moths to a flame.

©2022 Heidi Ardizzone (P)2022 Random House Audio

So much to learn. A life well lived.

An incredible woman in a man's world. She enjoyed her to the fullest. I admired her strength and courage.

Overall an extremely interesting book.

A couple of years ago I read The Personal Librarian, which is the historical fiction novel about Belle da Costa Greene. I was intrigued enough by the story that when the non fiction volume came into my awareness I felt like I really wanted to know the factual story behind the woman. This is an extremely well-researched book about her life and with as little information as there really is to go on a very well constructed story based on original source documents letters and other pieces of information. It is a book not just about the woman, but also about the society in which the woman lived; the social strata of African-Americans, the decision to pass or not pass into white society, what money could and could not buy you at the turn of the 20th century, all come into play as we watch Belle move through her life. The one huge surprise to me was that her father was Richard Greener, First African-American man to graduate from Harvard college and a social activist. I whole heartedly give this book a total of 4.5 stars. Very good narrator.

Interesting story!

The book was so interesting, and I enjoyed the time period it covered very much. I wish there was more detail about her actual work at the library, how she would have gone about her days; and less about her extracurricular activities. But overall an interesting story about a fascinating woman. 

A Remarkable Woman

I’ve been aware of Belle da Costa Green for a while but this is the first biography that I’ve read. I think it’s the only modern biography in existence and for that reason, it is an important work. With that being said, it does begin to drag about half way through. The daily minutiae is perhaps a bit too detailed. The cast of characters in her life is expansive and at times, hard to follow and remember who’s who. Overall however, this biography is a remarkable feat given that Green destroyed all her personal papers. It is fortunate that her long time lover and friend, Bernard Berenson, did not do the same, otherwise we would know very little about this remarkable woman. As it stands, the Morgan Library provides little information about Belle, which is a shame given her impact on the institution. I believe they intend to launch an exhibit sometime soon about her relationship with Berenson and they are working to fully digitize all of her letters to him with the help of Harvard University, who owns Berenson’s Florentine villa. Belle occasionally pops up in the Library’s blog and I hope that they will consider a more permanent on site exhibit highlighting the magnanimity of her contributions. Until then, this biography is the only comprehensive look at her life and well worth reading, even when it gets a bit slow.