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    Fragments: Poems, Intimate Notes, Letters
    Fragments: Poems, Intimate Notes, Letters
    Fragments: Poems, Intimate Notes, Letters
    Ebook248 pages1 hour

    Fragments: Poems, Intimate Notes, Letters

    By Marilyn Monroe and Bernard Comment

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    Fragments is an event—an unforgettable book that will redefine one of the greatest icons of the twentieth century and that, nearly fifty years after her death, will definitively reveal Marilyn Monroe's humanity.

    Marilyn's image is so universal that we can't help but believe we know all there is to know of her. Every word and gesture made headlines and garnered controversy. Her serious gifts as an actor were sometimes eclipsed by her notoriety—and by the way the camera fell helplessly in love with her.

    Beyond the headlines—and the too-familiar stories of heartbreak and desolation—was a woman far more curious, searching, witty, and hopeful than the one the world got to know. 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 artifacts—notes to herself, letters, even poems—in Marilyn's own handwriting, never before published, along with rarely seen intimate photos.

    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. They show a Marilyn Monroe unsparing in her analysis of her own life, but also playful, funny, and impossibly charming. The easy grace and deceptive lightness that made her performances indelible emerge on the page, as does the simmering tragedy that made her last appearances so affecting.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMacmillan Publishers
    Release dateOct 12, 2010
    ISBN9781429988407
    Author

    Marilyn Monroe

    Marilyn Monroe was the defining actress of her age. Born in Los Angeles in 1926, Monroe first gained notice for small but memorable roles in The Asphalt Jungle and All About Eve in 1950. Over the next decade, she starred in numerous films, including Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Some Like It Hot, How to Marry a Millionaire, and The Seven Year Itch. Acclaimed for these and many other performances, Monroe also studied with Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio. Fragments, a book of her poems, notes and letters, as well as rare photographs, shows the little-known personal side of this icon. Monroe died in 1962.

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    Reviews for Fragments

    4/5

    67 ratings9 reviews

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    • 5/5
      A wonderful, heartbreaking glimpse of the fragile woman behind the myth. So intelligent. So tragic.

      She would have been 86 today.
    • 5/5
      "I think to love bravely is the best and accept - as much as one can bear." (p. 131)Fragments is a precious treasure for any Marilyn Monroe fan, offering a rare glimpse into a complicated mind. The large, glossy pages offer high-quality reproductions of pages from her notebooks and diaries, letters to her friends, teachers and doctors, and random scribbles on hotel stationary. The compilers provide transcribed text on the facing pages, as Marilyn's handwriting is messy, littered with spelling mistakes and often difficult to decipher. Also included are many gorgeous black and white photographs of Marilyn reading and surrounded by books - a treat for any bibliophile.Marilyn's notes and poems reveal a fragile, anguished personality - her desire to be loved is paired with her doubts that love is even a possibility:"I guess I have always beendeeply terrified to really be someone'swifesince I know from lifeone cannot love another,ever, really." (p.115)Her anxiety over acting is very real:"Fear of giving me the lines newmaybe won't be able to learn themmaybe I'll make mistakespeople will think I'm no good orlaugh or belittle me or think I can't act." (p. 41)There is also a struggle, revealed in these pages, to overcome a repressive and abusive childhood, and a letter sent to Dr. Greenson in 1961 describes in detail her time locked in a psychiatric ward. Her love for her friends and her constant drive to improve herself as an actor are two positive emotions that constantly surface through the rest of her despair - but reading scrawled lines of poetry in which she talks about death, and literally cries for "help" with pencil and paper, are almost too heartbreaking to read.Still, a definite must-own for any serious Marilyn Monroe fans. "Life -I am both of your directions...Somehow remaining hanging downwardthe mostbut strong as a cobweb in the wind - I exist more with the cold glistening frost.But my beaded rays have the colors I'veseen in a painting - ah life theyhave cheated you" (p.17)
    • 5/5
      Really great!! Thank you so much<3 love this book <3
    • 4/5
      From Lee Strasberg's eulogy at Marilyn Monroe's funeral:

      Marilyn Monroe was a legend.

      In her own lifetime she created a myth of what a poor girl from a deprived background could attain. For the entire world she became a symbol of the eternal feminine.

      But I have no words to describe the myth and the legend. I did not know this Marilyn Monroe. We gathered here today, knew only Marilyn - a warm human being, impulsive and shy, sensitive and in fear of rejection, yet ever avid for life and reaching out for fulfillment.

      This collection of letters that Marilyn never sent, notes, diary-like entries, thoughts ranging from her first, failed marriage, up to a run-through of answers to interview questions just before her death, is a very intimate collection.

      In the notes - mostly written by herself but also through typed transcriptions by her assistant - and the diary-entries, Marilyn goes through an array of emotions regarding a variety of subjects, persons, projects and other matters, ranging from her psychoanalysis, her seemingly constant self-questioning and self-doubt, to happiness, being married, succeeding with her own production company and of course, on reading.

      This brings a very different image of the person, rather than the very two-dimensional, simple creature that some seem to prefer her to be.

      Her honesty is key here, to me. Her writing reeks of honesty and is very interesting, especially when she writes of her fears, examining her past and considering her future, notably through the founding of her own production company (taking on MGM by doing so), which is professionally no small feat.

      She seems to have been very self-critical. She doesn't dump down on anybody else in these notes.

      As a poet, she is quite rough; not my cup of tea, and the lyrics don't seem to have been worked over much. Still, these are notes grabbed from a box in a garage. It's not like she attempted to get them published.

      All in all, it's an accomplished bunch of pieces from a very talented, intelligent and seemingly pleasant and honest person's life. I wish she'd get more recognition for all of the things for which she's not most famous, but that's show business, I guess.
    • 4/5
      This aptly titled book contains snapshots of actual handwritten pages from Marilyn Monroe's notebooks as well as typewritten diary entries and letters written between the 1950s to her death. Photographs of Marilyn Monroe either reading or writing bookend each chapter.

      Although a book of scribbling from an unknown writer or poet would never be published, Marilyn Monroe's mystique continues to captivate public attention. This volume of thoughts, impressions, images, and feelings is a bit voyeuristic, but it does satisfy the craving to know what exactly went on behind the pretty face.

      A recommended read for anyone interested in Marilyn Monroe or the inner thoughts of a creative person.
    • 3/5
      There's a special place in my heart that's reserved for Marilyn Monroe. Ever since I watched that fantastic movie called 'Some like it hot', I've found myself more and more intrigued by the legend that is Monroe. This book, more than any biography or movie, makes the woman behind the icon come alive.

      Surely, there's some cryptical and random notes that could have been left out. It's not like I'm talking grocery lists here, but still. But it goes to show how thorough the research was, and, well, there's not really a bit of information that should go to waste.

      Then who was this mystical woman? The icon of the 50s sensuality? In essence, it makes her an intelligent, educated (although slightly dyslectic) woman who is in fact struggling with her own sexuality. Rumours have always been there that Marilyn might or might not have been a lesbian, or at least bisexual. This collection of documents will neither confirm or deny that rumour. Instead, it focuses on her feelings. Feelings of loneliness. Feelings of extreme sadness. In fact, her central statement is the following ; 'Alone! I am always Alone! I am always alone no matter what!'

      And this is what makes this book so interesting. It showcases a side of Marilyn that had not been explored yet. A fragile side, but also a portrait of bravery : one woman against the world. And all of that without breaking her greatest trumps : illusion and mystery.

      If you are a lazy person and you skipped through to the end, which is quite okay, here's the essential : if you're a fan, read this. Well presented, interesting and from time to time, deeply touching.

      Now if you'll excuse me, I need to rewatch some movies.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      I have read quite a few books about Marilyn and I plan to read alot more. But this book has been the most thorough I have found by far. It is also the easiest read. Stanley Buchthal keeps you engaged throughout the entire book. You will love it :)
    • 4/5
      This book give you an intimate look at Marilyn's journal, notes and other pieces of writing. Her writings reveal a very vulnerable and sometimes insecure Marilyn. The writings themselves are difficult to interpret- I was glad the author interpreted her writings as far as he could tell.
    • 4/5
      This book came out late last year and I immediately put it on my wishlist. I don't know much about Marilyn Monroe, but I find her fascinating. And I fell in love with her when I watched Gentlemen Prefer Blondes for the first time. How can you not love a character as sweet and naive as Dorothy Parker? And, from what I've read, Marilyn was just the same (although maybe not as dumb).Fragments is a collection of notes, poems, and letters that Marilyn wrote and saved. These papers were not discovered until years after her death and now, after some careful deciphering (her handwriting was hard to read and her spelling is atrocious), these fragments have come to light.There were many things in this book that I didn't know about Marilyn: she married at the age of 16 to escape the threat of returning to an orphanage when her foster parents moved out of state, her mother and grandmother had a history of mental illness, she was sexually assaulted as a child, and she was incredibly well-read. However, I believe this book is better suited towards people who have already read a biography of Marilyn's life, because there were times the editor would refer to instances in her personal or professional life that I had never heard of before, but he assumed the reader was familiar. Actually, this would work well as a companion book to any biography you may read, because the editor did his best to put her papers in chronological order; I feel this would enhance any further reading you may do.All in all this book made me want to learn more about Marilyn Monroe, but it did teach me some things. I don't believe she was as dumb as Hollywood made her out to be (how can you be when you read Ulysses for fun?), and I ultimately felt sorry for a woman who so obviously needed help but was unable to get it.I'll leave you with two quotations that really stood out to me, one from Marilyn herself and one from her husband, Arthur Miller."It's not too much fun to know yourself too well or think you do - everyone needs a little conceit to carry them through & past the falls." ~Marilyn Monroe"To have survived, she would have had to be either more cynical or even further from reality than she was. Instead, she was a poet on a street corner trying to recite to a crowd pulling at her clothes." ~Arthur Miller

    Book preview

    Fragments - Marilyn Monroe

    A Note to the Readers of the Electronic Edition of Fragments

    Fragments was originally formatted for hardcover publication, and though every effort has been made to simulate the original book’s layout and design features for the electronic edition, the arrangement of the e-book text does not always correspond to the original version. The transcripts of Marilyn Monroe’s writing feature text in various colors, indicating where editors have made corrections for clarity; on a black and white device, the alterations will not be differentiated. Finally, to adapt the book to an electronic format, image resolution has been reduced. For higher resolution versions of all of the images, please consult the hardcover edition.

    CONTENTS

    Editors’ note

    Personal note (1943)

    Undated poems

    Record black notebook (around 1951)

    Other Record notebook (around 1955)

    Waldorf-Astoria stationery (1955)

    Italian agenda (1955 or 1956)

    Parkside House stationery (1956)

    Roxbury notes (1958)

    Red livewire notebook (1958)

    Fragments and notes

    Kitchen notes (1955 or 1956)

    Lee and Paula Strasberg

    Letter to Dr. Hohenberg (1956)

    Letter to Dr. Greenson (1961)

    Written answers to an interview (1962)

    SUPPLEMENTS

    Some books from Marilyn Monroe’s library

    The favorite photo

    Funeral eulogy by Lee Strasberg

    Chronology

    Literary constellation

    Acknowledgments

    EDITORS’ NOTE

    Norma Jeane Mortenson was born under the sign of Gemini, and she described herself as having two natures: Jekyll and Hyde, two in one. Even the initials of her stage name (which, according to one story, were suggested to her by the clearly visible Ms formed by the lines of her palms) supported this duality, as did the pseudonym, Zelda Zonk, that she used while escaping incognito from Hollywood to New York.

    In her lifetime, under pressure from the studios, the media created a joyful and radiant image of Marilyn Monroe, even to the point of making her out to be a dumb blonde. One remembers her parts in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, The Seven Year Itch, How to Marry a Millionaire, and Let’s Make Love. Anything contrary to this artificial image was not welcome. There was no room for a melancholic Marilyn. The icon was not allowed to have an opposite side.

    Yet, like a medal, she did have two sides. The sunny and luminous one of the sparkling blonde, and the darker one of the excessive perfectionist who sought absolutes and for whom life (work, friendships, and love affairs) could only lead to disappointment. I think I have a gay side in me and also a sad side, Marilyn confided in an interview.

    Her friend Marlon Brando expressed perfectly the shock people felt when her death was announced: Everybody stopped work, and you could see all that day the same expressions on their faces, the same thought: ‘How can a girl with success, fame, youth, money, beauty…how could she kill herself?’ Nobody could understand it because those are the things that everybody wants, and they can’t believe that life wasn’t important to Marilyn Monroe, or that her life was elsewhere.

    There are thousands of photographs of this icon. Her image has been used in many, sometimes brutal, ways. But in this book a new world of truthfulness and overwhelming clarity is being thrown open. A hitherto unknown and unseen Marilyn is revealed.

    On her death in 1962, Marilyn Monroe’s personal possessions were bequeathed to Lee Strasberg, and when he in turn died in 1982, his young widow, Anna Strasberg, inherited this large and uncataloged collection, which included dresses, cosmetics, pictures, books, receipts, and so forth. Many years later, while sorting out Lee Strasberg’s papers, she found two boxes of poems and other manuscripts written by Marilyn. Not knowing what to do with these, she asked a family friend, Stanley Buchthal, for advice. Some months later, at an art collectors’ dinner, Stanley told Bernard Comment, a French essayist and editor, about Anna Strasberg’s find in order to get his opinion of the unpublished materials. That was the start of the adventure that became this book.

    As far as has been possible to determine, the texts are placed in chronological order. Words printed in red are the editors’ and correct spelling mistakes, add missing words, or suggest possible readings of indecipherable words. The ordering of fragments of very disparate documents has been an attempt at reconstruction and hence at interpretation. The flow of Marilyn’s thoughts on individual pages, and from one successive page to another, is indicated by red arrows (black arrows are Marilyn’s own).

    It is possible that other texts written by Marilyn will surface in the years or decades to come. For the moment, this book contains every available text, excepting her technical notes on acting. In any case, these writings reveal a young woman who was dissatisfied with issues of surface appearance and who was seeking the truth at the heart of both things and people.

    Only lovers of clichés will be surprised that the Hollywood actress was passionately fond of literature, although this fact cannot be illustrated merely by the pictures collected in this book. (Still: how many actresses from that period do we know who sometimes took pains to be photographed reading or holding a book?) In a 1960 interview with the French journalist Georges Belmont, Marilyn recalled the beginning of her career: "Nobody could imagine what

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