U-Lee ubonakala ngathi sisifundo esifanelekileyo sebhayografi: ukujija kwepeyinti kwi-self-portrait, kokukhona kuyanelisa ngakumbi kukukrwempa. Kwaye uKaren Abbott American Rose , iakhawunti yakutshanje ngobomi bukaLee, iqala ngokuthembisa: U-Lee uhleli kwigumbi lakhe lokunxiba, elungiselela ukwenza ababukeli abangamawaka kwi-Fair World ye-1940. Phantse iminyaka engama-30 ubudala, uvotelwe njengowona mfazi uthandwayo eMelika. Nditsho no-Eleanor Roosevelt, awathi wamgqogqa kuphando, uyayithanda. Kwiminyaka ethile kamva, wayethumela u-Lee itelegram eyayimemeza isithi, Ngamana iesile lakho elingenanto lihlala likhanya.
Kodwa ngaphambi kokuba uLee athathe inqanaba, isahluko siyaphela, kwaye okulandelayo kubuyela kubomi bokuqala bukaLee. Kungowokuqala kuninzi olusikayo. American Rose 'S amacandelo amafutshane ahlelwe ngokolandelelwano lwamaxesha, kwaye ayithethi ngo Lee. UNks.Abbott ukwacacisa amadoda azise i-burlesque kuluntu lwaseMelika ekuqaleni kweminyaka ye-20th century kwaye iphonononga iimeko ezibangele ukuba ikhule, ngakumbi eNew York. Ngexesha loxinzelelo, abadlali abangasebenziyo banokwenza nantoni na ukwenza imali, kubandakanya nokuthatha iimpahla zabo, kwaye kwanamadoda angabinakho ukuthenga itikiti lemidlalo yeqonga elinamaxabiso aphezulu anokulondoloza idola ukuba ibabukele. Ekukhululweni, indawo yemidlalo yeqonga yafumana i-gimmick yokuba unomathotholo, eyayityile kubaphulaphuli bevaudeville, ayinakho ukukhuphisana nayo: Ungayiva ihlaya, kodwa hayi intombazana ehamba ze.
Ezi akhawunti ziyafunxa kwaye ziphandwe kakuhle, kodwa xa kufikwa kuLee uqobo, UNks Abbott ungaphantsi kokucokisekileyo. Unomdla omncinci kubomi bobukrelekrele buka-Lee, ngokugxotha ezopolitiko-u-Lee wanikela ngezizathu eziqhubela phambili kwaye wanceda umbutho wabadlali be-burlesque, awayengowakhe, baququzelela uqhankqalazo-njengempembelelo. Isishwankathelo sonyango lwakhe lweencwadana ezinempumelelo zikaLee, eyokuqala awayibhalayo ngelixa wayehlala kwikomidi lamagcisa eBrooklyn Heights, apho abo wayehlala nabo babequka uW. Uphicotho-zincwadi kunye noCarson McCullers. Ukuzoba kakhulu kwimemo kaLee, uNkosk. Abbott ugxile kubunzima bentsapho-ubuntwana obunonophele obuchithwe kwisekethe yevaudeville, umama weqonga onoburhalarhume, usisi oyinkwenkwezi-ophakathi kwentsomi yamaGypsy, nasekuqondeni kwakhe uLee njengomntu olusizi . Uyaziyeka izihloko uLee ngokwakhe angakhange azixoxe, njengokwesini sakhe, iindawo apho isibindi okanye i-biographer enomdla ngakumbi inokufaka uxinzelelo ngakumbi.
Kwimizamo yokufumana ulonwabo ngala mabali aqhelekileyo, UNks.Abbott uxhomekeke ekuphetshweni nasekuhonjisweni ngokuthetha-oko kukuthi, njengoko kusenzeka, izicwangciso ezifanayo ezenze uLee abe yinkwenkwezi. Kodwa zilunge ngakumbi kumhlwili kunombhali webhayoloji. Amagqabantshintshi awanikayo kwixesha elidlulileyo nakwikamva awenzi lindelo. Endaweni yokuba bathathe ixesha, bayadana, njengoko esenza iinzame zakhe zokongeza ubukhazikhazi kwimisonto yebali yakhe enxitywe ngokuhombisa iingcinga zezifundo zakhe. (Kwimeko enye, umzekelo, umama ka-Lee kuthiwa uziva ebambelela ku-Lee] esityibilika, ebambelela ebuthathaka, umnwe ngokurhawulwa ngomnwe. Uye wabamba kwaye akaziva nto, wakhwaza akuva mpendulo.) Isiphumo Ubucwebe bempahla yesinxibo: Ingaphandle layo elinomtsalane lifihla isiseko somngxunya, kwaye nabani na oxabisa eyona nto ayizukukhohliswa.
Iminyaka yokuqala yoxinzelelo yayiyiminyaka yegolide ye-burlesque. U-Lee kunye nabasetyhini abafana naye babalwa phakathi kweenkwenkwezi ezinkulu zaseMelika. Izenzo zaya zicaca ngakumbi: Omnye wabadlali oqeqeshe izikhwenene ukususa iimpahla zakhe; elinye ihobe elisetyenzisiweyo. Iiholo zaseBurlesque zithathe iTimes Square, ngaphambili ibilikhaya kwimidlalo yeqonga ehloniphekileyo. Kwasasazeka amarhe okuba uBilly Minsky – yenye yezona zinto zinempembelelo kwishishini, kunye nomxholo American Rose ‘Awona macandelo abangela umdla – wayecwangcisa ukuguqula elona Sebe liphambili leThala leeNcwadi laseNew York ngomhla wamashumi amane anesibini kwelesihlanu libe liholo elinezixhobo zokuhluba iimpahla.
Njengoko iminyaka ye-1930 yayiqhubeka, nangona kunjalo, iTammany Hall yaphulukana namandla ayo, kwaye usodolophu omtsha wayezimisele ukucoca iNew York. Oku, u-Fiorello La Guardia wabhengeza, sisiqalo sokuphela kokungcola okucwangcisiweyo. Ulawulo lwakhe luvalile izindlu ezininzi ze-burlesque, ezibona, ngokwelinye igosa lesixeko, iindawo zokuhlala ezonakele ngokwesini. Kumashumi amabini eminyaka kamva, i-burlesque yayiphele yanyamalala. Into ethathe indawo yayo yajika yamanyala nangakumbi: Iithiyetha ezindala zaguqulwa zaba ziigubhu ezinoburharha apho abadanisi abahamba ze bexhonywa emva kwezahlulo zeplastiki okanye kwizindlu zokugaya ezihlola iifilimu zoononografi iiyure ezingama-20 ngosuku. Ngaphandle kweminyango yabo, ii-hustlers zacela abantu abadlulayo.
Amantombazana (kunye namakhwenkwe) eTimes Square entsha- abadanisi abangenasinxibo, iinkwenkwezi ezingamanyala, i-masseuse- babesisimumu ngokufanelekileyo. Banokumbombozela imiyalelo engcolileyo okanye ukuncoma, kodwa ubukhulu becala babencwina kwaye bekhwaza bekhotha imilebe, okanye ezinye izinto. Imilomo ibimanzi, ithambile, ayithethi: ii-orifices zenzelwe ukwanelisa iminqweno yomzimba okanye ukukhuthaza kancinci ukucinga. Kwakungasekho mazwi abaluleke kakhulu, njengoko ayenjalo kuLee. Xa evula umlomo, yayikukuthetha into. Umgcini wempahla, ugcinwe njalo, ngumfazi obeka imiboniso yesini exotic. Isenzo sam sihlekisa ngokuthe ngqo. Wazikhethela kwi-puns kunye nokujika kwebinzana: Emva kokubanjwa ngenxa yokusebenza ngokungafanelekanga, wanyanzelisa kwiintatheli ukuba akazange ahambe ze konke konke. Ndaye, utshilo, ndogqunywe ngokupheleleyo ngumbala ohlaza okwesibhakabhaka. Ababuyekezi bambiza ngokuba sisiphithiphithi, kwaye kwiminyaka engama-80 kamva, oonogada bakhe basabambe umtsalane wabo.
Wayengeyonto nje ejonge kwindoda: Ukujonga uLee kwakufuneka amve. Kwizenzo zakhe, wathetha indlela yakhe yokuba ngumzimba nje. Ngaphakathi kuyo, abaphulaphuli bakhe bakhawuleza baqonda, yayililizwi-kunye nengqondo. Kukho okungakumbi ukubona, uxele ngesiqhelo esinye, kunokuba uhlangana neliso. Ngelishwa, uNks.Abbott akayivezi le nkcukacha de kube sisiqendu sokugqibela. American Rose Ukukhanya kwizinto ezithile, kunye nokuqwalaselwa okuzinzileyo, kwesenzo sikaLee, ukushiya okubonisa uNks.Abbott akasiqondi kakuhle isizathu sokuba abantu abaninzi bathinjwe sisifundo sakhe. U-Lee waba yinkwenkwezi ngesizathu esinye sokuhlala enye: kuba wayekwazi ukulawula umfanekiso wakhe kwaye kuba eyazi indlela yokuthetha.
umhleli@observer.com
