When a funny girl is taken too seriously

THE news that Barbra Streisand is liable to happen only once will probably come as a relief to the very many people immune to her charms. That number would probably not include Anne Edwards who, despite occasional efforts at critical objectivity, falls pretty much into the category of slavish hagiographer.

There is also something rather queasiness inducing about the author's acknowledgments, which she opens with the statement: "I have this theory that the more we learn about the men and women we choose as our icons and heroes the more we learn about ourselves. Each biography I write is a self journey in that discovery."

On the basis of an extensive list of previous biographies for which she was responsible, Ms Edwards is a much self travelled woman. But, as her bibliography shows, this time she is journeying down a well trodden route. Barbra Streisand now seems to attract a fresh book per annum, and none of these efforts is either slim or predominantly pictorial. At this rate, a work could soon be written on why so many biographers are drawn to the same subject.

The reason is unlikely to be that there is any fresh information or insight about Streisand to share with readers. Although her publishers describe Anne Edwards's efforts as "revelatory", they would be so only to anyone who has hitherto managed to remain entirely ignorant of the singer/actress/director/producer/ friend of Bill Clinton and the Democratic Party. Should such a person exist, it would be a crime to disturb his or her virgin innocence by proposing the oeuvre of Ms Edwards, who is keener on hypothetical speculation than producing fresh evidence.

In any case, despite her oft proclaimed request for privacy, the facts of Streisand's life are by now well known to all those who long to be familiar with her career. Time and again, only two features of the woman retain interest: the ambition she demonstrated while young, and the power of her singing voice.

It is easy to exaggerate the obstacles Streisand had to overcome before she won a widespread audience. Typically, Ms Edwards likes to suggest that only after the most titanic struggle did a Jewish girl from Brooklyn claw her way to the top. Somewhat more prosaically, by the age of 22 she was one of the most famous singers in the United States (with three best selling albums to her credit) and the star of a Broadway success, Funny Girl. A couple of years later, she was an Oscar winning actress. There must be a few performers around who wish they could have experienced a similarly tough time.

But the speed of her ascent owes a great deal to Streisand's astonishing determination. Like her predecessors, Ms Edwards is clearly in awe of the youthful talent, so focused on getting her way that nothing, not even her own handicaps, was allowed to obstruct her. Many reasons have been advanced (most of them by Streisand herself) as to why she should have been so motivated by the idea of success; the early loss of her father and subsequent remarriage of her mother is usually proposed as the explanation. But many people experience trauma in childhood without feeling obliged to promote themselves remorselessly thereafter.

No matter what is suggested, Barbra Streisand's career, and in particular the rapidity with which she achieved her ambition, must be considered unique. Her latest biographer attempts to suggest she is a woman of intellectual substance, but in fact Streisand's character is banal and her personal taste and judgment suspect.

Her acting abilities are limited - when young she showed a talent for comedy but then started to take herself seriously and lost her sense of humour - and a handful of irritating mannerisms now dominate every screen appearance. But her voice remains miraculous. It's just a pity that whenever Streisand comes up for consideration, celebrity biographers get the job.