Marilyn Monroe
The Private Life of a Public Icon
This August marks the 57th anniversary of Marilyn Monroe’s death, and yet she remains one of the most iconic women of the 20th century. Her beauty still captivates. Her love life still fascinates. Her story still dominates popular culture. Drawing on years of research and dozens of new interviews, Charles Casillo’s biography, MARILYN MONROE: The Private Life of a Public Icon (St. Martin’s Press) cuts through decades of lies and secrets and introduces you to the Marilyn Monroe you always wanted to know: a living, breathing, complex woman, bewitching and maddening, brilliant yet flawed.
Casillo studies Monroe’s life through the context of her times—in the days before feminism. Before there was adequate treatment for bipolar disorder. Starting with her abusive childhood, this biography exposes how—in spite of her fractured psyche—Marilyn managed to transform each celebrated love affair and each tragedy into another step in her journey towards immortality. Casillo fully explores the last two years of her life, including her involvement with both John F. Kennedy and his brother Robert, and the mystery of her last day.
In MARILYN MONROE, Casillo takes readers into the big and small moments of this legendary woman’s life, weaving a compelling and captivating psychological portrait of the private life behind a very public icon.
Casillo studies Monroe’s life through the context of her times—in the days before feminism. Before there was adequate treatment for bipolar disorder. Starting with her abusive childhood, this biography exposes how—in spite of her fractured psyche—Marilyn managed to transform each celebrated love affair and each tragedy into another step in her journey towards immortality. Casillo fully explores the last two years of her life, including her involvement with both John F. Kennedy and his brother Robert, and the mystery of her last day.
In MARILYN MONROE, Casillo takes readers into the big and small moments of this legendary woman’s life, weaving a compelling and captivating psychological portrait of the private life behind a very public icon.
Fran spoke to the books author
'New Yorker'
Charles Casillo
Hello Charles, firstly, I don't think it's possible to write a book like this without having a fascination for the subject? (Although who isn't fascinated by Marilyn)
Like so many fans, my fascination with Marilyn begain simply and immediately. I was about 11 years old. I saw a photo of her in a magazine along with an article by a man who had once been her hairdress. The article was mean-spirited and gossipy but the photo was so sweet--almost angelic.
The contrast of the ethereal woman in the photo and the rather vicious things being said about her was compelling to me. I had to know more about her. And I started looking for books about her, keeping an eye out for her movies, photos. Anything that might give me a piece to her puzzle. And I've been following her trail ever since.
How do you begin to research a project like 'Marilyn Monroe...'
I guess you could say I've been researching this since I first saw the photo of her in a magazine when I was 11. But I have been a writer for my whole adult career. I felt it was time to try to get a biography out that told her complete story without an agenda. There were still some people living who hadn't talked yet so I became sort of like a detective as well as a writer--tracking people down and getting them to talk to me.
That word detective is so evocative and I know the book uncovers a few revelations...
Like so many fans, my fascination with Marilyn begain simply and immediately. I was about 11 years old. I saw a photo of her in a magazine along with an article by a man who had once been her hairdress. The article was mean-spirited and gossipy but the photo was so sweet--almost angelic.
The contrast of the ethereal woman in the photo and the rather vicious things being said about her was compelling to me. I had to know more about her. And I started looking for books about her, keeping an eye out for her movies, photos. Anything that might give me a piece to her puzzle. And I've been following her trail ever since.
How do you begin to research a project like 'Marilyn Monroe...'
I guess you could say I've been researching this since I first saw the photo of her in a magazine when I was 11. But I have been a writer for my whole adult career. I felt it was time to try to get a biography out that told her complete story without an agenda. There were still some people living who hadn't talked yet so I became sort of like a detective as well as a writer--tracking people down and getting them to talk to me.
That word detective is so evocative and I know the book uncovers a few revelations...
- Despite reports of their bitter rivalry, Elizabeth Taylor secretly called Marilyn when she was fired from her last film to offer moral and financial support.
- Film of a rumored nude love scene with Clark Gable was said to have been destroyed—but an exclusive interview reveals that it still exists.
- A few nights before she died, Marilyn encountered Warren Beatty at a party and gave him an unfiltered glimpse into her crushing fear and anxiety.
- A meticulously detailed account of the events of her last day, revealing how a series of miscommunications and misjudgments contributed to her death.
Charles there have been lot's of books written on Marilyn Monroe - have you crossed paths, compared notes with other authors or was this book literally starting with a fresh page... ?
I didn't talk to any other Marilyn biographers while I was writing the book but, of course, there are some wonderful biographies of her that I've read through the years and that was part of my research. I also had access to taped interviews that several other writers conducted years ago, so I was able to hear from the people who had been close to Marilyn but have since passed away. Also finding new people to talk added to the research. Then revisiting the interviews she gave in her lifetime. Taking another look at the newspaper and magazine articles from her era. And pouring through so many other sources of information that sometimes reveal a golden nugget. But, also, there has been so much written about Marilyn that is false--and it's crucial to weed that out. For me, the most important thing to do was to push aside everything I thought I knew about Marilyn, and take a look at everything through fresh eyes. Her life is a mosaic and you have to take tiny pieces of information and try to piece it all together until a full picture emerges.
Do you think we’ll ever know for sure about what happened to Marilyn - Is it so important or should she be remembered/ celebrated for her short life where she shined so very bright -
I think my book comes very close to revealing what happened to Marilyn. But she was wise in the way that--although she revealed so much to the public--she always kept a little piece of herself just for herself. Her press agent and friend, Pat Newcomb, once said, "Marilyn Monroe never told anybody everything." Like many intriguing people, Marilyn compartmentalized her life keeping certain areas carefully boxed away. So there will always be something mysterious about her. Which is what keeps us fascinated.
Such a contrast to todays social media fame, but what she had, still has, was special, people aren't stupid I think they saw the inner depth, the complications she tried to deal with.
Today, celebrities tell everything on Twitter. They write tell-all memoirs. They post their lives on instagram. And in a way that makes them like everyone else. On the other hand, Marilyn will always remain slightly out of reach. There will never be anyone like her. So I think, no matter what we find out or what remains unclear, she will always be remembered--for her beauty, her talent, her sensuality, and her humanity--with some mystery thrown in as another powerful ingredient.
Charles Casillo - Thanks so much, keep in touch - I'm still waiting to hear about "Your New York" ...
Fran
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About The AuthorCharles Casillo is the author of Outlaw: The Lives and Careers of John Rechy,The Marilyn Diaries, Boys,Lost & Found, and The Fame Game. His work has appeared in numerous publications including the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Harvard Review, New York and theLos Angeles Review of Books. His films include Fetishand Let Me Die Quietly. He was born in New York City. |
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"Sometimes while sitting darkly in a corner bar, sipping a martini with three olives, or just strolling down a city street with shadowy, hidden secrets, this author's mind wanders to his many interests and obsessions: Tragic figures, film noir, Marilyn Monroe, sex, eccentric personalities, extraordinarily talented individuals, and antidotes for insomnia, loneliness, and insecurity. He has written about some of these subjects in his books "The Marilyn Diaries," "Outlaw: The Lives and Careers of John Rechy," "The Fame Game," "Boys, Lost & Found," and his latest work, the comprehensive biography "Marilyn Monroe: The Private Life of a Public Icon."
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"Often he might scribble some of his musings on a cocktail napkin or the back of a newspaper and find it wadded up in the morning--crumpled, torn, and almost illegible but usually with the seed of a thought that might lead to something new..."
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