Jean Ross (1911-1973) inspired the character Sally Bowles, the cabaret singer in Christopher Isherwood’s novel, Goodbye to Berlin, as well as the musical adaptation, Cabaret. Where fictional Sally was untroubled and naive, her real-life counterpart was driven, politically-engaged, and curious.
Jean Ross (1911-1973) inspired the character Sally Bowles, the cabaret singer in Christopher Isherwood’s novel, Goodbye to Berlin, as well as the musical adaptation, Cabaret. Where fictional Sally was untroubled and naive, her real-life counterpart was driven, politically-engaged, and curious.
This month, we’re talking about muses–women who were drivers of creativity and inspiration. Once again, we’re proud to partner with Mercedes-Benz (whose famous namesake was inspired by a young muse named Mercedes). Tune in daily for stories of women whose lives inspired work that has shaped our culture.
History classes can get a bad rap, and sometimes for good reason. When we were students, we couldn’t help wondering... where were all the ladies at? Why were so many incredible stories missing from the typical curriculum? Enter, Womanica. On this Wonder Media Network podcast we explore the lives of inspiring women in history you may not know about, but definitely should.
Every weekday, listeners explore the trials, tragedies, and triumphs of groundbreaking women throughout history who have dramatically shaped the world around us. In each 5 minute episode, we’ll dive into the story behind one woman listeners may or may not know–but definitely should. These diverse women from across space and time are grouped into easily accessible and engaging monthly themes like Educators, Villains, Indigenous Storytellers, Activists, and many more. Womanica is hosted by WMN co-founder and award-winning journalist Jenny Kaplan. The bite-sized episodes pack painstakingly researched content into fun, entertaining, and addictive daily adventures.
Womanica was created by Liz Kaplan and Jenny Kaplan, executive produced by Jenny Kaplan, and produced by Liz Smith, Grace Lynch, Maddy Foley, Brittany Martinez, Edie Allard, Lindsey Kratochwill, Adesuwa Agbonile, Carmen Borca-Carrillo, Taylor Williamson, Ale Tejeda, Sara Schleede, and Alex Jhamb Burns. Special thanks to Shira Atkins.
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Hello! From Wonder Media Network, I’m Jenny Kaplan. This is Womanica.
This month, we're talking about muses -- women who were drivers of creativity and inspiration
Today’s muse inspired the character Sally Bowles, the cabaret singer in Christopher Isherwood’s novel, Goodbye to Berlin, and the musical adaptation, Cabaret. Where fictional Sally was untroubled and naive, her real-life counterpart was driven, politically-engaged, and curious.
Let’s talk about Jean Ross.
Jean Iris Ross was born in Alexandria, Egypt, in 1911. Her father was Scottish and worked in the cotton industry. Her mother was the daughter of a wealthy industrialist. Throughout Jean’s childhood, the family lived in luxury.
Then, Jean was sent back to England for school. She was… miserable.
By the time Jean was 16, she’d had enough. She faked a pregnancy, and got herself expelled. The next few years were a revolving door of experimentation – going to finishing school in Switzerland, a short stint at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, a small role in a low-budget film called Why Sailors Leave Home.
Jean wanted to find more acting roles, and heard a production company in Germany was hiring.. So when she was 19, she made her way to Berlin. In the early 1930s, Berlin was in the final years of a creative golden age. Theater, art, literature, sociology, psychoanalysis, science – it was all blooming in Germany’s capital city.
Jean wanted to be at the center of it. But like Sally Bowles – the character she would inspire – Jean’s dreams of being an actress remained… dreams. Instead, she found work modeling for magazines, and singing – though not very well – at cabarets. It was there, in the club scene, that she met Christopher Isherwood.
Christopher was a young writer, who was exploring his sexuality as a gay man in Berlin.
He and Jean shared a flat, and became intimately close – he later wrote that they were like siblings, platonically sharing a bed when their apartment became too crowded.
Jean and Christopher anchored a crew of young, British expat artists – many of whom were rebelling against their wealthy parents. Jean, with her huge eyes, her wit, and her sexual fearlessness, enchanted their circle of friends. As the only woman, she delighted in shocking them with stories of her romantic exploits.
But soon, Jean became pregnant. Christopher posed as her partner, in order to help her get an abortion. She nearly died from the procedure. When Christopher went to visit her in the hospital, he was met with disgust from the nurses. Word had spread that he was the father. How could he have put her through this? In reality, the father was a German actor Jean had become intimate with.
This tragic comedy of errors would become the climax of Christopher’s novella, Sally Bowles. That story would later anchor his novel, Goodbye to Berlin, about the rise of fascism during the last years of Germany’s bohemia.
While Jean was recovering from her abortion, the Nazi party began to take over Berlin. By 1933, Jean had fled to England.
Back in London, Jean joined the Communist Party. Around this time, she met Claud Cockburn, a British journalist. Jean also began writing about politics. The couple was on vacation in Spain when the Spanish Civil War broke out in 1936. Instead of fleeing, they stayed to report. Jean filed stories for The Daily Express, and Claud wrote for The Daily Worker. When he began fighting alongside the Spanish Republicans, Jean would file stories for The Daily Worker, too, publishing under Claud’s name.
Jean was an anti-fascist political activist for the rest of her life. But she also continued her love for the arts. She spoke fluent German. And she used that skill to help German directors in exile produce films. Jean also served as the film critic for The Daily Express. Her pen name was Peter Porcupine.
In 1939, Jean and Claud had a daughter, Sarah. Just a few months later, Claud abandoned the family. Jean settled into her life as a serious journalist, political activist, and devoted single mother.
Meanwhile, Christopher Isherwood’s novella Sally Bowles entered the public sphere. From the get, Jean was uncomfortable with her reincarnation as Sally. Sally was hedonistic, and flighty, and aloof – even as Nazis began marching through the streets. This characterization was a far cry from the person Jean had become.
The novella led to a novel, which later was adapted into multiple stage productions, including Cabaret. In 1972, Bob Fosse revived the story again, when he directed a film adaptation. Liza Minelli famously played the part of Sally Bowles, in a portrayal that reignited the public's interest in Jean.
Her daughter, Sarah, later recalled that journalists would often come to their door wanting to talk about sex. But Jean … wanted to talk about politics.
In 1973, Jean died. She was 61.