Featuring Her Own Handwritten Notes

Marilyn Monroe was born in Los Angeles in 1926. She gained attention for her roles in "The Asphalt Jungle" and "All About Eve" in 1950, and went on to star in numerous masterpieces over the next decade. While she achieved popularity for her performances in films like "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes," "Some Like It Hot," and "The Seven Year Itch," she died in 1962 at the age of 36. Her sudden death was reported sensationally, and the truth remains shrouded in mystery.

"Like all coins, she had two sides. The bright, radiant side with her flowing blonde hair. And the dark side. The side of an extreme perfectionist who drove herself to ruin. 'I have a gray side. I have a sad side,' Marilyn said in an interview." (From the Editor's Preface)



The collection includes over 100 previously unpublished handwritten notes, poems, and letters, some of which can be described as "cries from the soul." They candidly reveal the inner world of a sensitive, intelligent, and complex woman. Not only through the content but also through her handwriting, we can glimpse what she was thinking and feeling as she lived her life.

This highly acclaimed book has sold over 100,000 copies in the United States. It brings to light the true face of Marilyn, who lived her life intensely as an actress and as a woman, while cherishing her innocent soul. Readers can rediscover why she continues to captivate people around the world.

Fragments of a Woman: Marilyn Monroe's Unpublished Notes, Poems, and Letters
Edited by Stanley Buchthal and Bernard Comment
Translated by INOUE Atsuo
Published by Seigensha
Price: ¥2,310