Marilyn Monroe: Fragments

Marilyn Monroe: Fragments

Poems, Intimate Notes, Letters by Marilyn Monroe.

Marilyn Monroe was the defining actress of her era, and her image is universal. Every word and gesture made headlines and garnered controversy. Her serious gifts as an actress were sometimes eclipsed by her notoriety - and by the way the camera fell helplessly in love with her.

Monroe lived the Hollywood dream. Born into a difficult family situation, subjected to foster care and claims of illegitimacy, Norma Jean Baker managed to rise from her humble upbringing to international stardom with classic performances, including roles in Some Like It Hot, The Seven Year Itch and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.

Beyond the headlines, Monroe was haunted by illness and psychological distress. Since her unexpected death by overdose in 1962, Monroe has become one of the most intriguing and most beloved of Hollywood's fallen stars.

Now, for the first time, readers can meet the private Marilyn and understand her in a way we never have before. Fragments is an unprecedented collection of written artefacts - notes to herself, letters, even poems in Marilyn's own handwriting never before published - along with rarely seen intimate photographs. Jotted in notebooks, typed on paper or written on hotel letterhead, these texts reveal a woman who loved deeply and strove to perfect her craft, and who was playful, funny and impossibly charming. Fragments explores the life and mind of an icon, and offers a unique look into the private thoughts and reflections of one of Hollywood's brightest and most tragic stars.

Stanley Buchthal has produced many independent films, including Hairspray, Spanking the Monkey, Lou Reed's Berlin and Sketches of Frank Gehry. He is a family advisor to Anna Strasberg and the estate of Marilyn Monroe.

Bernard Comment is an award-winning screen-writer and translator, and the author of many books. He is also the editor for Fiction & Cie, an imprint of the French publishing house Editions du Seuil.

Marilyn Monroe: Fragments
Harper Collins Australia
Edited by: Stanley Buchthal and Bernard Comment
ISBN: 9780007395347
Price: $49.99