Barbra Streisand is set to release her long-awaited memoir this autumn, her publisher has announced. My Name Is Barbra, which will be published by Penguin Random House UK imprint Century on November 7, will explore the six-decade career of the 80-year-old star.
Many books have been written about the renowned actress and singer’s life but this will be the first time Streisand will chronicle her story in her own words. From Broadway to the big screen, the much-loved star is one of the biggest-selling recording artists of all time, and one of the few performers to have achieved EGOT status (winning an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony).
In the memoir, Streisand will recount her life from growing up in New York to the early days of her career and the years after. Her breakout performance came with the musical and film versions of Funny Girl and she went on to have an illustrious career in the entertainment world.
Over the years, she has been awarded two Oscars, one for best actress for her role in 1968’s Funny Girl and the other for best original song in the 1976 film A Star Is Born. She has also won a host of Emmys, Grammys, Golden Globes and a Tony across her lifetime.
With 1983’s Yentl, she directed, produced, wrote and starred in the major motion picture and became the first woman to win a Golden Globe Award for best director. She has also been awarded the National Medal of Arts from President Bill Clinton, France’s Legion d’honneur, and America’s highest civilian honour – the Presidential Medal of Freedom – from President Obama.
Streisand has also been an advocate for many causes and created the Streisand Foundation in 1986 to advance her philanthropic interests ranging from women’s rights to the protection of the environment. Publishers have sought a Streisand memoir for decades, with the singer telling Jimmy Fallon in 2021 that Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis asked her to write one in the early 1980s, when the former first lady was an editor at Doubleday.
The memoir was first announced in 2015, and scheduled for two years later, although it did not have a title at the time. A reference to it on her website, posted in 2015, was later pulled.
Ben Brusey, Century publishing director, said: "Barbra Streisand is the ultimate artist and icon, peerless in her mastery of multiple fields from music to film, theatre to philanthropy. Now, with the momentous publication of My Name is Barbra, Streisand announces herself as the ultimate writer and storyteller.
"One of the greatest tales of the creative life ever told, Streisand’s memoir reveals a voice on the page that is every bit as heartfelt, entertaining and spectacular as her greatest performances. We are thrilled and honoured to be publishing Streisand’s memoir and know it will be a landmark event full of joy and creativity that will dazzle and delight readers and critics alike."
My Name Is Barbra will be published by Century, a Penguin Random House UK imprint, on November 7.
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