The Stars - Tapa dura

Worshipped as heroes, treated as gods, movie stars are more than objects of admiration. A star's influence touches on every aspect of ordinary life, dictating taste in fashion, lifestyle, and desire. Edgar Morin's remarkable investigation into the cultural and social significance of the star system traces its evolution from the earliest days of the cinema - when stars like Chaplin, Garbo, and Valentino lived at a distance from their fans, far beyond all mortals, to the postwar era in which stars like Humphrey Bogart and Marilyn Monroe became familiar and familial, less unapproachable but more moving, and concludes with an analysis of the furious religious adulation surrounding the life and death of James Dean. Ultimately, Morin finds, stars are more than just creations of the movie studios; they serve as intermediaries between the real and the imaginary. Today, with the cult of fame more pervasive and influential than ever, The Stars remains a vibrant, vital, and surprising work.

Edgar Morin is director of studies emeritus at France's Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique and president of the Association pour la Pensee Complexe. He is the author of over thirty books and numerous articles on topics ranging from scientific method and anthropology to politics and popular culture.Richard Howard, poet and critic, teaches at the School of Arts at Columbia University. He has translated many books of French criticism, including works by Roland Barthes, Michel Foucault, and Tzvetan Todorov. His most recent translations include Absinthe: A Novel and The Charterhouse of Parma.