New in Paperback
The Letters of Ruth Draper
Self-Portrait of an Actress, 1920-1956
Edited by Dorothy Warren
Foreword by Sir John Gielgud

December 1999
ISBN 0-8093-2188-2 / paper / $21.00t
374 pages / 6 X 9 / 10 b$w illustrations
Theater

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Ruth Draper (1884 - 1956) was an internationally famous monologist who charmed audiences around the world with her "cast of characters" in some sixty sketches. Using no scenery, no props, and only an occasional shawl or other wrap over a simple dress, she was able to people the stage with a great variety of characters and move her audiences to laughter and tears.

Besides the dramatic gift, she had a gift for friendship and kept up a lively and diverse correspondence during her extensive travels. Her warmth and generosity, her unspoiled pleasure in her triumphant career, are reflected in these letters to friends and family; reading them is a rich and rewarding experience.

In addition to a discography of those monologues that were recorded, the book includes a selection of illustrations, a bibliography, and a detailed listing of all the pieces in Ruth Draper's repertoire.

"A combination autobiography/biography permeated with an air of freshness and immediacy. At times the book becomes as suspenseful as a novel. [Draper's] voice is vibrant, filled with energy, curiosity, and constant delight at what she saw around her. An impressive body of correspondence by a remarkable artist and woman." —Washington Post

"These Letters draw the measure of five decades with vivid observations; events from 1915 through 1956 are made intimately present. Like Draper herself, they are 'childlike in its best sense . . . attentive, warm-hearted, generous and sincere.' The result is a fittingly dramatic autobiography of the inner being. Highly recommended." —Library Journal

"I have always felt that Ruth Draper was (with Martha Graham) the greatest individual performer that America has ever given us, and I count myself infinitely fortunate to have known her a little as a woman as well as having been given so much joy by the extraordinary and unique subtleties of her art."

—Sir John Gielgud,
from the Foreword

"It is the freshness of Ruth Draper's vision, maintained through all her years that is at the heart of these poignant, enchanting letters. A lovely, moving self-portrait."

—Publishers Weekly