Here Lies the Heart

''Here Lies the Heart'' is the explosive 1960 memoir written by American poet, playwright, and novelist Mercedes de Acosta. A foundational classic, the book provides an intimate, off-stage look into the lives of Hollywood and Broadway icons from the 1920s to the 1940s.

De Acosta lived an openly uncloseted life that was incredibly rare and daring for her generation. When she fell seriously ill with a brain tumor and faced financial distress, she published this memoir to recount her elite social circles and romantic liaisons.
The book is most famous for detailing her numerous romantic relationships and close friendships with prominent artists and legendary stars of the era, including:
Greta Garbo
Marlene Dietrich
Isadora Duncan
Eva Le Gallienne
Alla Nazimova
Georgia O'Keeffe

Because she openly named her famous lovers, the book's publication caused major, permanent rifts between de Acosta and several of the women she wrote about, particularly the intensely private Greta Garbo.