New Book Recasts Marilyn Monroe Through 400-Book Library Ahead of Her 100th Birthday
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · May 24
New Book Recasts Marilyn Monroe Through 400-Book Library Ahead of Her 100th Birthday
1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · May 24
Gail Crowther’s 290-page “Marilyn and Her Books” argues Monroe’s private library of more than 400 volumes undercuts the “dumb-blonde” image that long defined her public persona.
Those books ranged from Thomas Wolfe and Russian literature to Martin Buber and four copies of Kahlil Gibran’s “The Prophet,” reflecting Monroe’s self-education and wide literary interests.
U.C.L.A. adult-extension classes and carefully staged photos of Monroe reading or browsing bookstores reinforced a lifelong effort at self-improvement, despite her insecurity about not finishing high school.
The reassessment arrives ahead of June 1, when Monroe would have turned 100, with some books and other belongings already headed to auction at Julien’s.
As her personal books head to auction, why is Marilyn Monroe's historic final home being left to crumble?
Was Monroe's 400-book library a secret intellectual passion or just another carefully crafted Hollywood performance?