TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

Streisand's new memoir says she's 'still hurt' by insults over looks

In doing press for the memoir Streisand has said penning her life's story herself has been "the only way to have some control over my life."

AFP
New York, US
Wed, November 8, 2023

Share This Article

Change Size

Streisand's new memoir says she's 'still hurt' by insults over looks Pop diva Barbra Streisand is a loud and proud Democrat who has made no secret of her disdain for Donald Trump. (AFP/Brendan Smialowski)

S

uperstar Barbra Streisand is capping her storied career with a nearly 1,000-page memoir out Tuesday, musing on her childhood, Broadway breakout and storied Hollywood love life.

The long-awaited My Name is Barbra hits the shelves November 7, with the 81-year-old artist and EGOT winner -- that's Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony -- dishing on her decades in the entertainment business.

Across 992 pages Streisand, beloved for her voice as well as her myriad acting roles including Funny GirlA Star Is Born and The Way We Were, discusses the pressures of the industry and double standards for women artists: "sometimes I felt like my nose got more press than I did," she writes.

"I wish I could say none of this affected me, but it did. Even after all these years, I'm still hurt by the insults and can't quite believe the praise," writes Streisand in excerpts published in People magazine.

"I guess when you become famous, you become public property. You're an object to be examined, photographed, analyzed, dissected . . . and half the time I don't recognize the person they portray. I've never gotten used to it, and I try to avoid reading anything about myself."

She also discusses her high-profile romances with former husband Elliott Gould -- with whom she shares a son, Jason -- as well as Marlon Brando and Canada's former prime minister Pierre Trudeau.

"Deep down, I, too, wanted romance, but I had let my work take over. I tended to use work as a substitute for relationships," she writes.

For a quarter-century now she's been married to actor James Brolin. 

"Jim and I met at a point in my life when I had basically given up on finding someone. And frankly, I was all right with being on my own. I had my son, I had great friends to keep me company, my work was fulfilling, and I loved my new house in Malibu overlooking the ocean," she writes.

In doing press for the memoir Streisand has said penning her life's story herself has been "the only way to have some control over my life."

"This is my legacy," she told the BBC. "I wrote my story. I don't have to do any more interviews after this."

Your Opinion Matters

Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.