Memoir

By: Louise Brooks

Date: 1982

Source: Brooks, Louise, Lulu in Hollywood. 1982. Reprint, Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, 2000, 104–106.

About the Author: Louise Brooks (1906–1985) was born in Cherryvale, Kansas. Brooks aspired to be a dancer but became a silent film star instead. Pandora's Box (1928), directed by G.W. Pabst, remains her most famous work. Her short, dark hair became synonymous with the flapper look. Brooks retired from acting in 1938. She appeared in only twenty-five films during her career and lived in seclusion until her death in Rochester, New York.

Introduction

Louise Brooks's father was a lawyer. Her mother, Myra Brooks, was more interested in playing the piano and reading books than attending to maternal duties. Nevertheless, Mrs. Brooks instilled in her daughter a love of the arts and literature, and took...