I was initially skeptical when I picked up this book by Edwin MacArthur. After all, Flagstad practically made his career, and they were lifelong friends. How objective could he be? Would this be a treacly hagiography?
These doubts were quickly dispelled. MacArthur has a great sense of humor, and a refreshing candor. While his affection and gratitude towards Kirsten is obvious, this is no hagiography. MacArthur touches on many unpleasant aspects of Kirsten's personality -- her tendency to thoughtlessly feud for little reason, her difficult, strained relationship with her daughter, her penchant for offending people. MacArthur hints that the reason Kirsten found herself practically friendless and attacked after the War was her inability to play the social game. MacArthur also notes Flagstad's unfortunate habit of cutting friends and wellwishers off.
This is a fun, funny book -- at times it reminded me of Mapleson's memoirs, as a hapless impresario/manager struggles to get the show on the road with a haughty capricious prima donna. The tour of Australia is retold hilariously, with Kirsten 'acting up' and her entourage unsuccessfully attempting to placate her.
There are of course limits to this memoir. MacArthur is notably tight-lipped about Kirsten's husband's Quisling activities. No doubt he felt that Kirsten was innocent of any involvement, but one gets the sneaky feeling that MacArthur was not so certain of Johansen's innocence. Johansen returns to Norway, and is rarely mentioned again. I've read other books that go into more depth about the mysterious, murky war years. The common consensus seems to be that Flagstad, while personally innocent, may have been used first as propoganda and then as a scapegoat. MacArthur also makes a somewhat obvious attempt to explain away the rumors that Kirsten was an alcoholic. But ironically his descriptions of Kirsten's drinking come across to modern readers as a definite drinking problem.
But these are small quibbles. Overall this is a wonderful biography. It's done with a rare mixture of affection and candor. For those who love Kirsten's later recordings, it might be interesting to read what MacArthur thought of them. There are nice pictures and a healthy dose of funny diva anecdotes to please gossipy sentimentalists like me also.