Marilyn Beyond the Lies, a new book by French author Frédéric Debomy, analyses the ‘fantasies and manipulations’ around the Monroe legend, which he argues are ‘almost all drawn from the most extreme fringes of McCarthyism’ – from the Cold War era she lived through to the conspiracy theories about her death.
“Everything seems to have been said about Marilyn Monroe. However, when we look closely, we discover that most of those who have taken hold of her life have only produced fictions that depict her badly, second-hand biographies or unreliable investigations. Texts fed not by facts but by ramblings or stories that are never questioned. However, there are solid sources from which to start to analyse this phenomenon of permanent confiscation of a woman’s voice by people claiming to give it an echo. This book does not claim to re-establish the truth about Marilyn. It takes on the more modest task of not confiscating her voice. It thus perhaps, paradoxically, allows us to approach her better.”
Another recent publication from France, ‘And If You Were to Stop Loving Me‘ is Benjamin Castaldi’s second book about his grandmother, Simone Signoret. Following his family memoir, ‘I Loved You So Much …’, Castaldi returns to grandfather Yves Montand’s affair with Marilyn, in what seems to be a mixture of fact and imagination.
The book description states that Let’s Make Love – the 1960 musical’s original title, The Billionaire, was retained in France – was written by Arthur Miller. In fact, its author was Hollywood screenwriter Norman Krasna, although Arthur did contribute some additional dialogue.
“The two couples become friends and then … The rest of the story is legendary. The romance between Montand and Marilyn causes a scandal and makes headlines. Devastated, Simone nevertheless refuses to lose face: ‘Do you know many men who would remain indifferent to having Marilyn in their arms?’
To tell this love story and these intertwined destinies, Benjamin Castaldi uses the unique voice of his grandmother, Simone. Between love at first sight, intimate dramas and heartbreak, a moving first love story.”
And finally, Hello, I Am Marilyn Monroe is an essay collection from ‘Argolus’ – aka Jean-Claude Bouffil – exploring ‘the genius of an actress,’ with a photo of Marilyn at Niagara Falls on the cover. Oddly, this book follows another volume from the same author, published earlier this year. With a cover photo by Alfred Eisenstaedt, The Strange Destiny of Norma Jeane Mortenson aka Marilyn Monroe promises to reveal ‘the hidden side of a Hollywood star’ through Marilyn’s horoscope.
The Marilyn Report 