Susan Sontag passed away in late 2004. Sontag is generally considered to be one of the greatest American writers, essayists and thinkers of the past century. Sontag’s last partner was Annie Leibovitz, the famous photographer. They got together in the late ‘80s and I always assumed that their relationship was entirely solid. I mostly heard about Sontag’s last years, with Leibovitz caring for her, and Leibovitz’s devastation when her partner passed away. But in a new biography of Sontag’s life and work, there’s a big reveal about the true nature of Annie and Susan’s relationship. Mostly, Sontag treated her partner like absolute sh-t and Leibovitz just took it. She took it for years. It’s awful.

Susan Sontag bullied her lover, snapper to the stars Annie Leibovitz, mercilessly, telling her, “You’re so dumb, you’re so dumb,” a searingly honest book about Sontag’s life reveals. “Sontag: Her Life and Work,” by Benjamin Moser, is being touted as one of the books of the season. And in the tome, Rolling Stone and VF icon Leibovitz speaks of her love for the great writer, who struggled with her sexuality. But for the first time, their love affair is laid bare, as Sontag’s son David Rieff admitted: “They were the worse couple I’ve ever seen in terms of unkindness, inability to be nice, held resentments.” Rieff is no fan of Leibovitz, but still said: “I said to Susan more than once, ‘Look, either be nicer to her or leave her.’”

Despite that, the book says that Leibovitz paid for everything — first-class travel, apartments, private chefs and maids — although it states: “From early on, Susan gave the impression of wanting to get away from the relationship, and her discomfort burst into full public view.” Author Richard Howard recalled a “constant litany of attacks on Annie — You’re so dumb, you’re so dumb” — that caused him to all but end a friendship of decades, the book reports. On the day Sontag’s friend Michael Silverblatt was due to met Leibovitz, Sontag, the book says, told him that “she felt obliged to explain that Annie would be the stupidest person I’d ever met.”

“Just as often, she would trash her to her face. Annie was sitting next to her when Susan said to be Marilu Eustachio: ‘This one doesn’t understand a thing.’” Meanwhile, as Leibovitz stood by, she would gush to another photographer: “You’re the only interesting photographer in America.”

The pair split in 2000 when Leibovitz decided to have a baby on her own at age 51. Even then, at a party to celebrate both Leibovitz and her baby daughter Sarah in 2001, Sontag became jealous of Condé Nast chief — and Leibovitz’s boss — Anna Wintour, fearing she was being ignored as she said, “What am I? chopped liver?,” according to Silverblatt. “I think she wanted me to herself,” Leibovitz said.

But she still bought Sontag a beautiful apartment in Paris to write in, and tirelessly cared for Sontag during her final battle with cancer up until her death in December 2004 at age 71. And despite everything, Leibovitz told the author that she loved Sontag enough to endure the sniping, adding: “I would have done anything.” She added: “She was tough, but it all balanced out. The good far outweighs the bad things. We had so many good experiences together.”

[From Page Six]

Wow, I had no idea Leibovitz and Sontag were so toxic. No, let me correct that: Sontag was the toxic one and Leibovitz was her victim. Why did Leibovitz never walk away for good? Why did Sontag constantly bully and demean her younger lover? This really upsets me. It upsets me that Leibovitz paid for everything and took care of Sontag in the last years of her life too, and that Sontag probably left this world negging the f–k out of Leibovitz. Gross.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.