{"id":137422,"date":"2024-12-15T20:18:14","date_gmt":"2024-12-15T13:18:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=137422"},"modified":"2024-12-15T20:18:14","modified_gmt":"2024-12-15T13:18:14","slug":"book-review-ira-gershwin-a-life-in-words-by-michael-owen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=137422","title":{"rendered":"Book Review: \u2018Ira Gershwin: A Life in Words,\u2019 by Michael Owen"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-0\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-798hid etfikam0\"><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">IRA GERSHWIN: A Life in Words, <\/strong>by Michael Owen<\/p>\n<hr class=\"css-7ad88g e1mu4ftr0\"\/>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The lyricist Ira Gershwin once suggested his epitaph should be \u201cWords Failed Me\u201d: a joke tinged with ineffable sadness.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Bespectacled and diminutive of stature, he was and will be forever overshadowed by his younger brother and collaborator George, the glamorous genius composer who <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/archive.nytimes.com\/www.nytimes.com\/library\/arts\/gershwin-obit.html\" title=\"\">died at 38 of a brain tumor<\/a> many in his circle had dismissed as a nervous ailment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">As has been told many times before, but not from the close P.O.V. that Michael Owen assumes in his new biography, \u201cIra Gershwin: A Life in Words,\u201d this seismic event in musical history left his subject both bereft and, for the rest of his own much longer life, sweeping up after a fallen star while trying, faintly, to keep emitting his own light.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Ira spent plenty of time vetting George biographers, whose number could <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2007\/02\/25\/books\/review\/Keepnews.t.html\" title=\"\">populate<\/a> a healthy <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1987\/10\/03\/books\/books-of-the-times-gershwin-s-music.html\" title=\"\">chorus<\/a> <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1987\/10\/03\/books\/books-of-the-times-gershwin-s-music.html\" title=\"\">line<\/a>. But his own \u201cpotpourri of musical memories,\u201d titled \u201cLyrics on Several Occasions,\u201d sold so poorly he bought up the remaining copies. A decade after <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1983\/08\/18\/obituaries\/ira-gershwin-lyricist-dies-songs-embodied-broadway.html\" title=\"\">his own death at 86 in 1983<\/a> came Philip Furla\u2019s \u201c<a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kirkusreviews.com\/book-reviews\/philip-furia\/ira-gershwin\/\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Ira Gershwin<\/a>,\u201d which also focused to its detriment on the lyrics, not the man.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-1\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Now Owen, an archivist who has previously published a biography of the torch singer <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2000\/10\/19\/us\/julie-london-74-sultry-singer-and-actress-of-50-s.html\" title=\"\">Julie London<\/a>, has stepped up to give this perpetual supporting player an infusion of main-character energy. He succeeds. \u201cIra Gershwin: A Life in Words\u201d is dignified but not starchy, efficient but not shallow, and honest about grief\u2019s unrelenting toll. It concerns family ups and downs as much as show business, and everyone \u2014 happy holidays! \u2014 has some of those.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Ira was born Israel in 1896 to Russian Jewish immigrants to New York City, a name quickly switched to Isidore (Izzy or Iz) before he settled on one that, appropriately, can mean \u201cwatchful\u201d in Hebrew. There would be four children, and their parents\u2019 many business struggles and frequent moves left the oldest son cautious and introverted.<\/p>\n<div class=\"css-1336jj\">\n<div class=\"css-121kum4\">\n<div class=\"css-asuuk5\"><noscript><\/p>\n<div class=\"css-7axq9l\" data-testid=\"optimistic-truncator-noscript\"><svg width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"css-1b5b8u1\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M2.5 12a9.5 9.5 0 1 1 19 0 9.5 9.5 0 0 1-19 0Zm8.5 1.75v-7.5h2v7.5h-2Zm0 2v2h2v-2h-2Z\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\"\/><\/svg><\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"optimistic-truncator-noscript-message\" class=\"css-6yo1no\">\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">We are having trouble retrieving the article content.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/noscript><\/p>\n<div class=\"css-1dv1kvn\" id=\"optimistic-truncator-a11y\" tabindex=\"-1\">\n<hr\/>\n<p>Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/myaccount.nytimes.com\/auth\/login?response_type=cookie&amp;client_id=vi&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F12%2F15%2Fbooks%2Freview%2Fira-gershwin-biography-michael-owen.html&amp;asset=opttrunc\">log into<\/a>\u00a0your Times account, or\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F12%2F15%2Fbooks%2Freview%2Fira-gershwin-biography-michael-owen.html\">subscribe<\/a>\u00a0for all of The Times.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1g71tqy\"><svg width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"css-63woee\" data-testid=\"optimistic-truncator-spinner\"><g fill=\"currentColor\"><path d=\"M11.28 22.8a.72.72 0 1 0 1.44 0v-6.72a.72.72 0 1 0-1.44 0v6.72Z\" opacity=\".37\"\/><path d=\"M17.766 21.16a.72.72 0 1 0 1.165-.846l-3.95-5.436a.72.72 0 1 0-1.165.846l3.95 5.437Z\" opacity=\".26\"\/><path d=\"M1.506 14.653a.72.72 0 0 0 .445 1.37l6.391-2.078a.72.72 0 1 0-.445-1.369l-6.39 2.077Z\" opacity=\".61\"\/><path d=\"M5.07 20.314a.72.72 0 0 0 1.164.847l3.95-5.437a.72.72 0 1 0-1.165-.846l-3.95 5.436Z\" opacity=\".48\"\/><path d=\"M22.049 16.022a.72.72 0 0 0 .445-1.37l-6.391-2.076a.72.72 0 1 0-.445 1.37l6.39 2.076Z\" opacity=\".17\"\/><path d=\"M22.494 9.347a.72.72 0 1 0-.445-1.37l-6.391 2.078a.72.72 0 1 0 .445 1.369l6.39-2.077Z\" opacity=\".09\"\/><path d=\"M6.234 2.84a.72.72 0 0 0-1.165.846l3.95 5.436a.72.72 0 0 0 1.165-.846l-3.95-5.437Z\" opacity=\".87\"\/><path d=\"M1.951 7.978a.72.72 0 1 0-.445 1.37l6.391 2.076a.72.72 0 1 0 .445-1.37l-6.39-2.076Z\" opacity=\".74\"\/><path d=\"M18.93 3.686a.72.72 0 0 0-1.164-.847l-3.95 5.437a.72.72 0 0 0 1.165.846l3.95-5.436Z\" opacity=\".02\"\/><path d=\"M12.72 1.2a.72.72 0 1 0-1.44 0v6.72a.72.72 0 0 0 1.44 0V1.2Z\"\/><\/g><\/svg><\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"optimistic-truncator-message\" class=\"css-6yo1no\">\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">Thank you for your patience while we verify access.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">Already a subscriber?\u00a0<a data-testid=\"log-in-link\" class=\"css-z5ryv4\" href=\"https:\/\/myaccount.nytimes.com\/auth\/login?response_type=cookie&amp;client_id=vi&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F12%2F15%2Fbooks%2Freview%2Fira-gershwin-biography-michael-owen.html&amp;asset=opttrunc\">Log in<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">Want all of The Times?\u00a0<a data-testid=\"subscribe-link\" class=\"css-z5ryv4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F12%2F15%2Fbooks%2Freview%2Fira-gershwin-biography-michael-owen.html\">Subscribe<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1660802\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/12\/15\/books\/review\/ira-gershwin-biography-michael-owen.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>IRA GERSHWIN: A Life in Words, by Michael Owen The lyricist Ira Gershwin once suggested his epitaph should be \u201cWords Failed Me\u201d: a joke tinged with ineffable sadness. Bespectacled and &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=137422\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-137422","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-entertainment","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137422","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=137422"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137422\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=137422"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=137422"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=137422"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}