- Making sense of Monroe is problematic. Her so-called autobiography cannot be relied upon, not least because she was insecure, introspective and unable to even make sense of herself
- There has been much debate about the frame of mind that Monroe was in when, on the night of 5 August 1962, she knowingly or unknowingly took her own life. Had her psyche, right from the beginning, contained the seeds of her own destruction?
- With his medical background, the author is in a position to shed new light on the enigmatic character of Monroe, this fascinating, yet deeply troubled former Hollywood icon, who is regarded as the world’s most famous ever movie star
The world continues to be fascinated with Marilyn Monroe who dazzled with her beauty and captivated the hearts of millions worldwide with her innocence, charm, generosity, and kindness, and yet, she died tragically at the age of thirty-six. Hollywood columnist, film critic, and author Ezra Goodman, writing in 1961, declared, ‘The riddle that is Marilyn Monroe has not been solved.’ Putting together any sort of remotely searching story about Marilyn Monroe takes on all the aspects of a pathological detective story.
Aside from the fact that Marilyn’s so-called autobiography cannot be relied upon, making sense of her is certainly problematical as she was insecure and introspective and unable even to make sense of herself. To facilitate her pathway to fame, Marilyn, by her own admission, invented stories about herself, while others invented stories about her for their own ends.
There has been much debate about Marilyn’s frame of mind when she knowingly or unknowingly took her own life. Was it mental illness and instability that led Marilyn to an increasing reliance on drugs (and drink), until she finally died from a self-administered excess of them? Had her psyche, right from the beginning, contained the seeds of her own destruction? By teasing out what is authentic from what is inauthentic, it is possible to shed new light on the enigmatic character of Marilyn Monroe, who is regarded, arguably, as the world’s most famous movie star.
