Rudolph Valentino: A Wife's Memories of an Icon

In 1926 silent film icon, Rudolph Valentino, died unexpectedly at the age of 31. That same year, he had finalized a bitter divorce from his wife of four years, Natacha Rambova. Valentino had been madly in love with the gorgeous and very talented designer, yet they had been unable to make their marriage work. Since their first marriage in 1922, the public had been critical of Rambova, blaming her for any mistakes in Valentino's career or life, never knowing these choices had very little to do with her. As Valentino lay on his deathbed in New York, Rambova was in Paris. The two exchanged telegrams to the very end, with both sides believing they would soon reunite and a reconciliation had taken place. Upon hearing the news of his death, Rambova was so distraught she locked herself in her room for three days. Rambova struggled with how to memorialize her ex-husband. She strongly felt Hollywood was to blame and wrote a play "All That Glitters" to express those feelings (it was unpublished until 2012.) This memoir is a mix of her memories, hatred of Hollywood, love of her husband and deep belief in Spiritualism.First published in the UK in 1927, "Rudy: An Intimate Portrait by His Wife", is now presented as "Rudolph Valentino: A Wife's Memories of an Icon". First republished in 2009, this book is split into 3 parts: her memories, her Spiritual beliefs and additional information by Hala Pickford on both her and Valentino.