21 Facts About Suze Rotolo

Susan Elizabeth Rotolo, known as Suze Rotolo, was an American artist, and the girlfriend of Bob Dylan from 1961 to 1964.

Suze Rotolo, of Italian-American descent, was born at Brooklyn Jewish Hospital, New York, and raised in Sunnyside, Queens.

Suze Rotolo's parents were Joachim and Mary Rotolo, who were members of the American Communist Party.

At about the time she met Dylan, Suze Rotolo began working full-time as a political activist in the office of the Congress of Racial Equality, and the anti-nuclear group SANE.

Suze Rotolo first met Dylan at a Riverside Church folk concert in July 1961.

Suze Rotolo was the most erotic thing I'd ever seen.

Suze Rotolo was fair skinned and golden haired, full-blood Italian.

Suze Rotolo required committed backup and protection I was unable to provide consistently, probably because I needed them myself.

Suze Rotolo left New York in June 1962, with her mother, to spend six months studying art at the University of Perugia in Italy.

Dylan's interest in painting can be traced back to his relationship with Suze Rotolo, who had emphasized her shared values with Dylan in an interview with author Robbie Woliver:.

Suze Rotolo's interests were filtered through me and my interests, like the books I had, were filtered through him.

Suze Rotolo became pregnant in 1963 by Dylan and had an abortion.

Suze Rotolo traveled to Cuba in June 1964, with a group, although it was unlawful for United States citizens to do so.

Suze Rotolo married Italian Enzo Bartoccioli, a film editor who worked for the United Nations, in 1967.

In New York, Suze Rotolo worked as an illustrator and painter, before concentrating on creating book art, things resembling books but incorporating found objects.

Suze Rotolo made an appearance in Martin Scorsese's documentary film, No Direction Home: Bob Dylan, which focused on Dylan's early career from 1961 to 1966.

Suze Rotolo was interviewed nationally in 2008 by Terry Gross on NPR's Fresh Air to promote her book, A Freewheelin' Time: A Memoir of Greenwich Village in the Sixties, which was published by Broadway Books on May 13,2008.

Suze Rotolo recounted her attempts not to be overshadowed by her relationship with Dylan.

Suze Rotolo discussed her need to pursue her artistic creativity and to retain her political integrity, concluding:.

The image of Suze Rotolo walking with Dylan on the cover of The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan proved impossible to shake off, but equally difficult to accept.

Suze Rotolo died of lung cancer at her home in New York City's NoHo neighborhood on February 25,2011, aged 67.