My Life with Barbra: A Love Story

By Barry Dennen

The time is 1959 in New York City; the scene is a quaint 9th Street apartment with candles, play scripts, and a guitar the place struggling actor Barry Dennen calls home. He shares this space with a young, ambitious, starry-eyed actress named Barbara Streisand. Their friendship was instantaneous, and then evolved into a love that could have only existed during those exuberant, youthful days in the New York theater scene days that burned themselves into Dennen's memory.My Life with Barbra: A Love Story is a moving, fascinating, intimate portrait of Streisand, the three years she shared with Dennen, and the on-again, off-again relationship he has had with her for 30 years. When they met, Dennen explains, it was Streisand's dream to make it as a stage actress. But he helped her discover her real talent, singing. She came to him looking for friendship, and he introduced her to the fabulous history of nightclub singing and cabaret. Through the richly textured performance education Streisand received from Dennen, the thrift shop threads their friend Terry Leong turned into stunning star outfits for her, and the tender touch of makeup artist Bob Schulenberg, Barbara became "Barbra" and was empowered to eventually realize that dream of fame through finding a "style" that set her apart from the rest.Drawn from Dennen's personal experiences with Streisand, his diaries and letters from that time, My Life with Barbra takes a close look at the early years of one of today's most powerful American entertainers. From her eye-popping first smash-hit as a brand-new Broadway Star in "I Can Get It For You Wholesale," to her starring role in "Funny Girl" Dennen offers you front row seats to the making of a megastar. A treasure-trove drawn from his scrapbooks, never-before published photographs, and letters makes this book of memories a unique and enduring collector's item.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1573921602
• ISBN13: 9781573921602
• Release Date: September 1997
• Publisher: Prometheus Books
• Length: 277 Pages
• Weight: 1.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

A Slice Of Streisand's Life

There have been many Streisand biographies. She's accomplished so much in her life. Barry Dennen's sweet book MY LIFE WITH BARBRA is a slice of Streisand's life. It's also a snap shot of Mr. Dennen's life and contains many personal details about him. Dennen tells a good story and has an ear for dialogue. Of course, there is no way Dennen could remember the conversations he quotes verbatim - but I don't think he claims to. Rather, his book is a sort of "misty, water-colored" memory of the days in Manhattan with Barbra Streisand. He catches Streisand's cadences very well, though.It's nice to hear about Streisand from someone who knew her personally. Everything I've always suspected was true - at least in her early career. Barbra was sweet and tough, ignorant and brilliant, self-absorbed and giving. She was very taken with her "look" and it's interesting to read about how she concentrated on her makeup and clothes so much.The most fascinating part of the book is Dennen's recollections of some phone calls from the "adult" Barbra in 1992 and 1997. We see Barbra as we suspect she is: a little burdened with stardom; obsessed with the truth and trying to control how others tell it.This book is great! At the end, I was most impressed that, despite the years that lapsed between Dennen and Streisand's love affair and friendship, Streisand still kept in touch. I suspect she is a loyal friend, despite her eccentricities.

His Life With Barbra

I found this book to be very enjoyable. I have long been a Streisand fan and have read many of her biographies, but this one, I would have to say is one of the best. Dennen takes us thru Barbra's early years, when she was just starting out as an actress, and describes his part in pushing her toward being the greatest singer of our times. This book is very sweet and I definately recomend it to any Barbra fan.

THE DEFINITIVE BARBRA BOOK

My Life with Barbra is an absolute must for anyone interested. No other book written about her can boast of such an intimate perspective. Mr. Dennen was there from the very beginning, even before she attempted to sing in public for the first time. If you're considering a Barbra book, make this the one.

The most informative and entertaing book ever written!

Being a Barbra Streisand fan, I loved how the book gave you a glimpse into her past, from an insider, it felt like I was really there experiencing it all with her! The best book I've ever read is "My Life with Barbra"

Bravo!

This book is a touching coming out story against the remarkable backdrop of having Barbra Streisand as co-worker, friend, roommate, and lover.