This 2016 reprint of the 1960 edition offers a full facsimile of the original publication, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software, ensuring an authentic reading experience. It provides a rare glimpse into the life and times of Mercedes de Acosta (1893–1968), an American poet, playwright, and novelist whose influence extends beyond her literary work.
While professionally she was not widely successful, de Acosta is best known for her personal life, marked by numerous lesbian affairs with prominent Broadway and Hollywood personalities. Her openness about her sexuality was daring for her era, as she did not attempt to hide her relationships. She was involved in many high-profile relationships with some of the most famous figures of the period, including actress Alla Nazimova, with whom she began an affair in 1916, and dancer Isadora Duncan.
Following her marriage to Abram Poole in 1920, de Acosta entered into a five-year relationship with actress Eva Le Gallienne. Over the next decade, her romantic associations included renowned actresses and dancers such as Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich, Ona Munson, and Russian ballerina Tamara Platonovna Karsavina. Rumors also suggest she may have had affairs with Pola Negri, Eleonora Duse, Katherine Cornell, and Alice B. Toklas, though these remain unsubstantiated.
In 1960, facing serious illness due to a brain tumor and in need of financial support, de Acosta published her memoir, “Here Lies the Heart.” This candid account recounts the off-stage lives and lifestyles of many iconic Hollywood figures from the 1920s to the 1940s, offering an intimate look into a world of glamour and complexity.