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Queer Feelings. Reflections on Zarah Leander and Gay Diva Worship

Rosenberg, Tiina LU (2009) In Nordic Theatre Studies 21. p.115-115
Abstract
The Swedish actress and singer Zarah Leander's (1907-81)dark voice, travestie-like persona and her schlager repertoire made her a major gay icon in the 1950s, and she remains an icon in the gay community even today. This essay discusses some aspects of queer feelings and camp aesthetics connected with gay diva worship in the way the 'phenomen Leander' emerged in the postwar period in Sweden and Germany. The queer quality of the Leander performance is to be found in her transgressive erotic representation, in her vocal gender ambiguity, transformed in the gay male diva worship into countercultural resistance to 'normalcy'. This essay deals only with gay male Leander worship, but she also had a lesbian following.
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Zarah Leander, gender, gesture, emotion, feeling, queer, voice, kitsch, gay diva worship, camp
in
Nordic Theatre Studies
volume
21
pages
115 - 115
publisher
Föreningen Nordiska Teaterforskare
external identifiers
  • wos:000278989800011
ISSN
0904-6380
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
251ef661-9c18-409a-92b0-d7a1a7bb0c2d (old id 1393491)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 14:45:02
date last changed
2018-11-21 20:29:48
@article{251ef661-9c18-409a-92b0-d7a1a7bb0c2d,
  abstract     = {{The Swedish actress and singer Zarah Leander's (1907-81)dark voice, travestie-like persona and her schlager repertoire made her a major gay icon in the 1950s, and she remains an icon in the gay community even today. This essay discusses some aspects of queer feelings and camp aesthetics connected with gay diva worship in the way the 'phenomen Leander' emerged in the postwar period in Sweden and Germany. The queer quality of the Leander performance is to be found in her transgressive erotic representation, in her vocal gender ambiguity, transformed in the gay male diva worship into countercultural resistance to 'normalcy'. This essay deals only with gay male Leander worship, but she also had a lesbian following.}},
  author       = {{Rosenberg, Tiina}},
  issn         = {{0904-6380}},
  keywords     = {{Zarah Leander; gender; gesture; emotion; feeling; queer; voice; kitsch; gay diva worship; camp}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{115--115}},
  publisher    = {{Föreningen Nordiska Teaterforskare}},
  series       = {{Nordic Theatre Studies}},
  title        = {{Queer Feelings. Reflections on Zarah Leander and Gay Diva Worship}},
  volume       = {{21}},
  year         = {{2009}},
}