Mercedes De Acosta remains a captivating figure from the Jazz Age, less for her own artistic output and more for the famous women she captivated. Writer Alice B. Toklas famously quipped, “Say what you will about Mercedes, she’s had the most important women of the 20th century.” Indeed, Mercedes de Acosta’s name is intertwined with Hollywood royalty like Greta Garbo and Marlene Dietrich, dance icons Isadora Duncan and Tamara Karsavina, and actresses Ona Munson and Pola Negri. Even Toklas herself was rumored to be among Mercedes de Acosta’s conquests.
While Mercedes de Acosta penned plays and published poetry collections – Moods (1919), Archways of Life (1921), and Streets and Shadows (1922) – she never achieved the fame of her lovers. Her notoriety stemmed largely from her explosive 1960 memoir, Here Lies the Heart, which detailed her passionate affairs in 1920s America, causing significant personal fallout with many of the women involved. Now, a previously unpublished collection of poetry by Mercedes de Acosta has emerged, offering a new glimpse into her life and loves. This unique volume was specifically created for Gladys Calthrop, the esteemed British stage designer known for her work with Noël Coward.
This newly discovered, professionally bound book, housed in a quarter-morocco slipcase, contains twenty poems, virtually all of which are previously unknown. Dedicated “To Gladys,” these poems offer an intimate look at Mercedes de Acosta’s feelings for Calthrop. The dedication reads: “To Gladys, take these frail poems, for the sake of many things. Your eyes – these years – a dream, and some golden moments fleet with wings.” This collection provides fresh insight into Mercedes de Acosta, not just as a figure of scandalous relationships, but as a poet expressing deep personal emotions.
The rarity and provenance of this volume add to its allure. Offered for £8,750 by London rare book dealers Peter Harrington, the book’s journey is almost as intriguing as Mercedes de Acosta’s life itself. Sammy Jay, a specialist at Peter Harrington, explains that Gladys Calthrop, known for her collaborations with Noël Coward, gifted the volume to Coward, a close friend. It later belonged to Coward’s housekeeper, Maggie Moore, before reaching its current owner.
Jay highlights the book’s significance: “The volume offers a unique and intimate window into one of the lesser-known celebrity affairs of someone who earned the nickname ‘the greatest starfucker ever’, and is all the more valuable for being a new discovery.” He emphasizes Mercedes de Acosta’s multifaceted identity: “Acosta is an impressive figure as a poet, as a Cubana, as an out lesbian, and more generally as a woman boldly making her way in the world.” He anticipates strong interest from institutions recognizing her diverse appeal.
The poems themselves, addressed to Calthrop (who passed away in 1980 at 85), are described by Mercedes de Acosta as capturing intense emotion. One line reads: “You are a throb of a wound in beauty’s side – like a dark hyacinth, wet with the passion of a troubled tide.” Jay characterizes the poems as “dramatic, despairing and explicitly erotic,” suggesting they were written after the affair ended, possibly initiated by Calthrop. Lines like, “A lost cause maybe; – A song – a flower that you love – a tree, or for just some spark in you, that flaming up lit me,” hint at heartbreak and longing.
Born in New York in March 1892 to Cuban and Spanish parents, Mercedes de Acosta’s early life included attending the Convent of the Blessed Sacrament with Dorothy Parker. In 1920, she married artist Abram Poole, a marriage seemingly of convenience amidst her burgeoning homosexual relationships during the Roaring Twenties. This period saw Mercedes de Acosta openly embrace her sexuality, leading Robert A. Schanke to title his biography That Furious Lesbian.
While her personal life provided rich material for her writing, it hindered her professional success. Jay notes, “She is largely remembered for her romantic liaisons and never achieved artistic distinction, likely because she refused to compromise herself or her work to fit standards of acceptability.” Her friend, dancer Ram Gopal, observed that male theater executives were resistant to working with “a strong woman who loved women,” finding her “too overpowering.”
Despite societal constraints, Mercedes de Acosta persisted. Even after the 1927 New York state bill banning performances depicting “sex degeneracy or sex perversion,” she continued to write and attempt to produce plays exploring controversial themes like incest (The Dark Light, 1926) and prostitution (Illusion, 1928).
Mercedes de Acosta’s connection with Gladys Calthrop began in 1927 when Calthrop reportedly seduced de Acosta’s lover, actress Eva Le Gallienne. By 1929, Calthrop was involved in a London production of Mercedes de Acosta’s play Prejudice, and they embarked on their own affair. Mercedes de Acosta even provided Calthrop with a residence in Manhattan.
By 1960, coinciding with the release of her memoir, Mercedes de Acosta faced financial hardship and a brain tumor diagnosis. Here Lies the Heart further isolated her; Greta Garbo severed their friendship, and Eva Le Gallienne publicly dismissed the book’s revelations as falsehoods.
Mercedes de Acosta died in poverty on May 9, 1968, at the age of 76 in New York. While often remembered for the possibly exaggerated claim, “I can get any woman away from any man,” Mercedes de Acosta was more than just her romantic life. She was a dedicated activist against the Spanish Civil War, a proponent of women’s rights (“I believed in every form of independence for women,” she wrote in her memoir), and an animal rights advocate, embracing vegetarianism and rejecting fur. This newly discovered poetry collection serves as a potent reminder of the depth and complexity of Mercedes de Acosta, a woman who defied societal norms and lived life on her own terms.
