Fearless and Free
A Memoir
Published on 19. February 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
288 pages
978-1-78487-835-1 (ISBN)
Description
This is the iconic Josephine Baker in her own words.
Funny, candid and unconventional: the wildly famous but elusive Josephine Baker tells her own story in this enchanting memoir.
Baker took Paris by storm in the 1920s, dazzling audiences with her humour, beauty and effervescence on stage. She became an icon. Later, as one of the most recognisable women in the world, she became a spy for the French resistance and was awarded the Legion d'honneur for military service. After the war she became a civil rights activist, and in 1963 she spoke at the March on Washington alongside Martin Luther King. All this from a girl of mixed heritage, born in Missouri to a poor mother and a father she did not know.
Formed from a series of conversations with the French journalist Marcel Sauvage over a period of more than twenty years, and now translated into English for the first time, this gorgeous book offers an insight into one of the most beguiling figures of the twentieth century.
'Translated gorgeously into English... A delightful, nourishing read' Guardian
'She was a beacon of joy and fellowship and her smile...reaches out to us across the years' Financial Times
'Josephine Baker certainly shook things up. This memoir demonstrates - vividly - the pleasure she took in doing it' Washington Post
WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY IJEOMA OLUO
TRANSLATED BY ANAM ZAFAR AND SOPHIE LEWIS
Funny, candid and unconventional: the wildly famous but elusive Josephine Baker tells her own story in this enchanting memoir.
Baker took Paris by storm in the 1920s, dazzling audiences with her humour, beauty and effervescence on stage. She became an icon. Later, as one of the most recognisable women in the world, she became a spy for the French resistance and was awarded the Legion d'honneur for military service. After the war she became a civil rights activist, and in 1963 she spoke at the March on Washington alongside Martin Luther King. All this from a girl of mixed heritage, born in Missouri to a poor mother and a father she did not know.
Formed from a series of conversations with the French journalist Marcel Sauvage over a period of more than twenty years, and now translated into English for the first time, this gorgeous book offers an insight into one of the most beguiling figures of the twentieth century.
'Translated gorgeously into English... A delightful, nourishing read' Guardian
'She was a beacon of joy and fellowship and her smile...reaches out to us across the years' Financial Times
'Josephine Baker certainly shook things up. This memoir demonstrates - vividly - the pleasure she took in doing it' Washington Post
WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY IJEOMA OLUO
TRANSLATED BY ANAM ZAFAR AND SOPHIE LEWIS
Reviews / Votes
Translated gorgeously into English... [Baker's] storytelling is writerly and precise, with satisfying arcs in a single sentence or a page... a delightful, nourishing read * Guardian * [Baker] skips across her life, never dwelling on hardship, with an imaginative joie de vivre that offers a real glimpse of her presence.... She was a beacon of joy and fellowship and her smile...reaches out to us across the years * Financial Times * As with Bob Dylan's Chronicles, its joy lies in its distinctive voice... it feels like the closest you are going to come with an audio with the woman... Baker was no saint, but this book leaves you with no doubt about her unique power * The Times * Josephine Baker certainly shook things up. This memoir demonstrates - vividly - the pleasure she took in doing it * Washington Post * A vivid impression of her ebullient personality, extravagant love for animals, and overflowing generosity * Kirkus * This gorgeous, captivating gem of a memoir will both introduce Baker to a new generation of readers, and cement her legacy as an enduring international icon -- Abbott Kahler [Fearless and Free] is lively and humorous, at once candid and reticent... [it] paint[s] an engaging picture of the early world of light entertainment and of the movements against racism that swept the world in the 1950s and 1960s * Times Literary Supplement *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Vintage Publishing
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 195 mm
Width: 124 mm
Thickness: 21 mm
Weight
204 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-78487-835-1 (9781784878351)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Persons
Josephine Baker (Author)
Josephine Baker was born in 1906, in St Louis, Missouri. After performing in New York during the Harlem Renaissance as a teenager, she sailed to Paris in 1925 at the age of 19. She can became a star there during the 20s, achieving international celebrity. In 1927 she became the first black woman to star in a major motion picture.
When the Second World War broke out Baker joined the French intelligence agency and was awarded for her bravery. During the 50s and 60s she became involved in the civil rights movement - in 1963 she spoke at the March on Washington alongside Martin Luther King. In later life she adopted twelve children. Baker died in 1975.
Sophie Lewis (Translator)
Sophie Lewis translates from French and Portuguese. She has translated books by Jules Verne, Marcel Ayme, Violette Leduc, Emmanuelle Pagano, Stendhal and Joao Gilberto Noll.
Josephine Baker was born in 1906, in St Louis, Missouri. After performing in New York during the Harlem Renaissance as a teenager, she sailed to Paris in 1925 at the age of 19. She can became a star there during the 20s, achieving international celebrity. In 1927 she became the first black woman to star in a major motion picture.
When the Second World War broke out Baker joined the French intelligence agency and was awarded for her bravery. During the 50s and 60s she became involved in the civil rights movement - in 1963 she spoke at the March on Washington alongside Martin Luther King. In later life she adopted twelve children. Baker died in 1975.
Sophie Lewis (Translator)
Sophie Lewis translates from French and Portuguese. She has translated books by Jules Verne, Marcel Ayme, Violette Leduc, Emmanuelle Pagano, Stendhal and Joao Gilberto Noll.