Fragments: Poems, Intimate Notes, Letters

By Marilyn Monroe

Marilyn Monroe’s image is so universal that we can’t help but believe that 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 the way the camera fell helplessly in love with her.

But what of the other Marilyn? Beyond the headlines -- and the too-familiar stories of heartbreak and desolation -- was a woman far more curious, searching and hopeful than the one the world got to know. Even as Hollywood studios tried to mold and suppress her, Marilyn never lost her insight, her passion, and her humour. To confront the mounting difficulties of her life, she wrote.

Now, for the first time, we can meet this private Marilyn and get to know 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. These bits of text -- jotted in notebooks, typed on paper or written on hotel letterhead -- 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 so memorable emerge on the page, as does the simmering tragedy that made her last appearances so heartbreaking.

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

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Oct 12, 2010
• ISBN: 9781443404983

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.

Reviews for Fragments

[razinha-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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

She would have been 86 today.

[worldincolour · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

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.

[catfantastic_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

"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)

[angelalam-300700 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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.

[flashnsass · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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 :)

[pivic-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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.

[yayasbooks · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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.

[amyelizabeth_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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