My Name Is Barbra

My Name Is Barbra is dedicated to Streisand’s parents, Diana and Emanuel. Though Streisand felt distant from both of them, her parents shaped her life and career in significant ways. Diana was a school secretary and Emanuel was a teacher, and the two met when they worked at the same school. Though the relationship did not initially pan out, Streisand sees their eventual reconnection as fate. Diana was a singer and dreamed of having a career in music, but life got in the way of Diana’s goals and she did not attempt to follow her dreams. Streisand describes her mother’s singing as beautiful; she and her mother recorded a short album together when Streisand was 13, a moment Streisand remembers as pivotal for her artistic development.

Diana has always claimed that Streisand got her talent from her, though her father was also a trained musician. At a dinner party, when Diana saw the attention Streisand was getting, she began to scream, “I’m the mother! She’s nothing without me!” (959). Diana never wanted Streisand to have an entertainment career and came to resent her daughter’s success. Diana has only been to a handful of Streisand’s performances, hurting her daughter by not showing up, leaving early, or criticizing her without offering praise. Diana’s neglect left Streisand insecure, though Streisand stresses that she loved her mother. Diana died in 2002 without fully resolving the complexities of the relationship.

Streisand’s father died of complications from a seizure when she was one. As a child, what Streisand knew of her father was limited to basic facts and what her brother Sheldon told her, as Diana purposefully did not talk about him in front of Streisand. Emanuel was a scholarly man whose devotion to learning inspired Streisand’s interest in subjects such as literature and Judaism. Later in life, she learned of more parallels between herself and her father, such as their interests in theater and writing poetry. Streisand especially felt Emanuel’s influence while she made Yentl, which she dedicated to him and all fathers. In 1984, Streisand established the Emanuel Streisand Building for Jewish Studies at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem in her father’s honor.

Streisand credits much of her success in the early days of her career to her friends, many of whom remained close to her throughout her lifetime. Her relationships tended to combine personal and professional mentorship. As a teenager, she learned about the art of acting from Anita and Allan Miller, whom she also saw as surrogate parents. She felt similarly about producers Cis and Harvey Corman, with whom she was especially close—Streisand considers Cis a “soul mate” (371). Streisand also felt a deep connection with President Bill Clinton’s mother Virginia Kelley, whom she viewed as a maternal figure and for whom she began to perform live again after decades away from the stage.

In the media, Streisand is known for her many romantic relationships with prominent figures. She married actor Elliott Gould when they were just beginning their careers, and they had one son, Jason. Their divergent levels of success created problems in their marriage, and they separated after eight years but remain close friends and involved parents. Streisand has briefly dated many cast members and creative collaborators on her films and projects, though in her memoir she mentions she had a habit of withdrawing from romantic relationships when she didn’t feel completely understood. She lived with hairstylist Jon Peters for several years, but felt he was manipulative. Peters used her fame to make his way into the entertainment business, often taking credit for her work on projects. Late in life, Streisand felt an instant connection with actor James Brolin when a mutual friend introduced the two at a dinner party. They married in 1998 and have been together since. Unlike with many of her other relationships, Streisand and Brolin go great lengths to make their relationship work; Streisand describes both growing by listening to one another.