Divine Lola: A True Story of Scandal and Celebrity

Lola Montez was a self-invented international social celebrity who dazzled and beguiled the nineteenth-century European aristocracy with her beauty, sexuality, and disregard for propriety. She was born Eliza Gilbert and escaped a stifling marriage to reinvent herself as Lola the Sevillian flamenco dancer and noblewoman. She became the obsession of King Ludwig I of Bavaria and set out for the New World, where she lived like a pioneer and performed for rowdy miners before making her way to New York. Her downfall was as dramatic as her rise, and she was idolized, romanticized, vilified, and a century ahead of her time.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 448 pages
Publication date: 01 September 2021
Publisher: Amazon Publishing

Lola Montez, a captivating figure of the Victorian era, stands as a remarkable example of a woman who achieved international social celebrity through her own self-invention. Born Eliza Gilbert, this raven-haired Andalusian captivated audiences with her scandalous "Spider Dance" across Europe's grandest performance halls. Her astonishing beauty, sexuality, and audacious disregard for propriety left everyone in awe. However, what many did not know was that Lola was a self-invented persona.

Escaping a stifling marriage, she reinvented herself as Lola the Sevillian flamenco dancer and noblewoman, embracing a life of adventure, fame, sex, and scandal. She cast her spell on the European aristocracy, as well as renowned intellectuals and artists such as Alexandre Dumas, Franz Liszt, and George Sand. King Ludwig I of Bavaria became her devoted admirer, and she even ventured to the New World, arriving in San Francisco during the height of the gold rush. There, she lived like a pioneer, captivating rowdy miners with her performances. Eventually, she made her way to New York, where her journey took a dramatic turn.

Despite her inevitable downfall, Lola Montez's life remained intriguing. She was a "savage beauty" who was idolized, romanticized, vilified, and truly known by no one. A century ahead of her time, she defied societal norms and challenged the expectations of her era. Lola Montez's story remains a testament to the power of self-invention and the enduring allure of a woman who refused to be bound by convention.

Weight: 458g
Dimension: 151 x 222 x 33 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781542025119