Marilyn & Me: A Photographer's Memories [Deckle Edge] [Hardcover]

Lawrence Schiller (Author)

Book Description

Release date: May 29, 2012

An intimate memoir recalling a young photographer's relationship with Marilyn Monroe just months before her death, with extraordinary photographs, some of which have never been published.

"With the precision of a surgeon, Schiller slices through the façade of Marilyn Monroe in his unflinching memoir. Revealing and readable, it’s a book I couldn’t put down." —Tina Brown

When he pulled his station wagon into the 20th Century-Fox studios parking lot in Los Angeles in 1960, twenty-three-year-old Lawrence Schiller kept telling himself that this was just another assignment, just another pretty girl. But the assignment and the girl were anything but ordinary. Schiller was a photographer for Look magazine and his subject was Marilyn Monroe, America's sweetheart and sex symbol. In this intimate memoir, Schiller recalls the friendship that developed between him and Monroe while he photographed her in Hollywood in 1960 and 1962 on the sets of Let's Make Love and the unfinished feature Something's Got to Give, the last film she worked on.

Schiller recalls Marilyn as tough and determined, enormously insecure as an actress but totally self-assured as a photographer’s model. Monroe knew how to use her looks and sexuality to generate publicity, and in 1962 she allowed Schiller to publish the first nude photographs of her in over ten years, which she then used as a weapon against a studio that wanted to have her fired—and ultimately succeeded. The Marilyn Schiller knew and writes about was adept at hiding deep psychological scars, but she was also warm and open, candid and disarming, a movie star who wished to be taken more seriously than she was.

Accompanying the text are eighteen of the author’s own photographs, some never previously published. Many writers have tried to capture her essence on the page, but as someone who was in the room, a young man Marilyn could connect with and trust, Schiller gives us a unique look at the real woman offscreen.

"In this short, splendid memoir, Lawrence Schiller offers us another cut on the scintillating diamond that is Marilyn Monroe. In clear honest straightforward prose, Schiller allows us to dwell in the heart of another time. He captures Marilyn, both in photographs and words, and in so doing he gives us intimate access into one of the great stories of the 20th century: the complicated cocktail of joy and sadness that goes along with both beauty and fame." —Colum McCann

Editorial Reviews

Review

"With the precision of a surgeon, Schiller slices through the façade of Marilyn Monroe in his unflinching memoir. Revealing and readable, it’s a book I couldn’t put down."
—Tina Brown

"In this short, splendid memoir, Lawrence Schiller offers us another cut on the scintillating diamond that is Marilyn Monroe. In clear honest straightforward prose, Schiller allows us to dwell in the heart of another time. He captures Marilyn, both in photographs and words, and in so doing he gives us intimate access into one of the great stories of the 20th century: the complicated cocktail of joy and sadness that goes along with both beauty and fame."
—Colum McCann

About the Author

Lawrence Schiller began his career as a photojournalist for Life, Newsweek, and Paris Match, among other periodicals, photographing some of the most iconic figures of the 1960s, from Marilyn Monroe to Lee Harvey Oswald to Robert F. Kennedy; from Ali and Foreman to Redford and Newman. The author of four New York Times bestselling books, including American Tragedy, his many collaborations include Norman Mailer’s Pulitzer Prize–winning book The Executioner’s Song. He has also directed and produced motion pictures and television miniseries, which have garnered an Oscar and seven Emmys. Schiller has been a consultant to NBC News and has written for The New Yorker, The Daily Beast, and other publications. In 2008, he co-founded The Norman Mailer Center and the Norman Mailer Writers Colony in Provincetown, Massachusetts. He has five children and five grandchildren. Marilyn & Me is his eleventh book.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Nan A. Talese; First Edition edition (May 29, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385536674
• ISBN-13: 978-0385536677
• Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 0.7 x 7.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #318,788 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #39 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( M ) > Monroe, Marilyn

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars EXCELLENT BOOK / EXCELLENT VALUE June 2, 2012

By David Wills

Format:Hardcover

I really loved "Marilyn & Me" and thought this book was genius for three reasons. ...

ONE: It is filled with information I had never heard before (not easy these days) and is written in a style that makes Marilyn fresh, contemporary and exciting - many times I found myself desperate to get to the next page. Also, in its humanity, the book neither deifies Marilyn, or makes her a joke - you are just left with the extraordinary portrait of an exceptionally hardworking, ambitious and shrewd woman. This is a very refreshing change from the usual victim scenarios.

TWO: This book is being published in tandem with Taschen's BEYOND lavish, limited-edition deluxe volume. I saw a preview copy at the Taschen store recently and my jaw dropped. The image quality is stunning - but that's for another review. Anyway, the point I'm making, is that after reading the paperback I was eager for more. I would say it contains about 20 photos - quite a few of which I had never seen before - but this book is not so much about the photos, to me it's really a teaser to whet the appetite. And it sure did.

THREE: It's ELEVEN BUCKS !!! Thank you. I will be saving my pennies for the big book, but I thought it was quite generous of the author to share this with people who may not be able to afford the more expensive version. I loved the Vanity Fair article of course, but I held out for the book for the sake of completion and continuity. Cute cover too.

21 of 26 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing. Just read the Vanity Fair excerpt. May 31, 2012

By MLFitzgerald032

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I read the Vanity Fair excerpt and was really excited about the book, so I pre-ordered it for my Kindle. What a disappointment - pretty much the Vanity Fair article with a few more paragraphs here and there that didn't add anything extra to the story. In fact, the Vanity Fair piece was better. Worse of all, the photographer spoke about the hundreds of pictures taken during this period of time, yet we only saw five or so in the book. There were more in the Vanity Fair article - ridiculous when it is a book from a photographer. Again, a HUGE disappointment, just pay for the Vanity Fair issue instead. You will certainly save both money and time.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars A rip off that could have been a better book June 4, 2012

By Joe, The

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I am a great fan of the late Marilyn Monroe and in this the 50th year after her death I was very excited to read about the release of a book with photos by Lawrence Schiller who took those marvelous poolside photos during the production of "Something's Got To Give". The book came today and my heart sank. It is a small hardbound book with a lovely photo on the jacket. The book is 114 pages of his memories along with a few photos. Some have been released before and the ones that are newly released here are not interesting at all. And the worst part of all is that all the photos are black and white. Doesn't Mr. Schiller think we deserve to see color photos? I have read that the originals are on sale at a gallery and that the color versions will be in a Taschen book selling for $1000. Considering all the books that I have gotten over the years that have treated the fans much better than this, I am greatly disappointed in this pitiable addition to the Monroe library in my house. As we all have experienced with the "renewed" memories of Colin Clark after 50 years, I won't even bother with Mr. Schiller's memories.