“Blonde Dust” by Tatiana de Rosnay

Sixty-two years after her death, Marilyn Monroe, still fascinating, moving and in the firmament thanks to “Poussière blonde”.

In his new novel, Blonde dust, published by Albin Michel, Tatiana de Rosnay immerses us in the intimacy and fragility of Marilyn Monroe. A moving story focused, or almost, on the film The Unhinged.

Nevada, United States: the Mapes Hotel in the city of Reno

In January 2000, Pauline went to Reno with her childhood friend to witness the destruction of the legendary Mapes Hotel. Why mythical? It was here that in 1960, Pauline had an encounter that shook her and transformed her life. And she remembers…

During the filming of the film The Misfits, The Unhinged, Marilyn Monroe stayed at the Mapes Hotel, in suite 614, and Pauline became her maid. Intelligent, discreet and attentive, she will little by little create links and a real bond with the star. Thanks to this meeting, Pauline will change her destiny as a single mother.

“I’ve been trying to talk about Marilyn Monroe for a long time. I’ve been a fan since I was 13, but I always approach my novels through a place… And when I saw this magnificent Art Deco building fall like That, I said to myself, this is my starting point: a hotel, a legendary shoot, an actress, a chambermaid. And that’s how I got into the story.”

Tatiana de Rosnay

at franceinfo

When she stayed at the Mapes Hotel, Marilyn Monroe had already begun to drown herself in alcohol and drugs. We are just after the affair of her affair with Montand. Marital scenes, delays on set, texts rewritten at the last minute, which she struggles to get out. In short, she exasperates everyone, including her playing partners, Clark Gable and Montgomery Cliff. The Unhinged, will be like a sort of “testament film” for these three icons. They all died shortly after. It will even be for Marylin Monroe her last completed film, and a true masterpiece…

“This film has a sort of dark legend… it has become my favorite Marilyn Monroe film. I find that it is the one which shows the actress that she could really have been, if we had stopped confining her to her silly blonde roles.”

Tatiana de Rosnay

at franceinfo

It’s a real pleasure to let yourself be held by the hand of Tatiana de Rosnay, a true fan of Marilyn Monroe since her adolescence. We enter with her into suite 614, into the intimacy of Marilyn Monroe, with all her array of hairdressers, masseuses, and assistants of all kinds, her “happy people” as she called them, sort of human shields against her fragility, even if no one manages to save her.

“My book doesn’t present this glamorous woman. It presents the woman in the privacy of her hotel room, who had all these people gravitating around her. She trusted them, they protected her… It was a very difficult time for her. I think she must have suffered a lot in Reno. Besides, the heat was absolutely terrible, and filming in the desert took on an absolutely apocalyptic feel.”

Tatiana de Rosnay

at franceinfo

And by the way, if the title of the novel, Gold dustsymbolizes the dust caused by the explosion of the Mapes Hotel, it is also a bit like that of the desert under the hooves of the famous mustangs, and why not the “Blond Dust”, the eternal color of Marilyn’s hair… because anyway, and forever… Poupoupidou !

Tatiana de Rosnay

Tatiana is the author of numerous novels, including Her name was Sarah, Manderley forever, We will be better tomorrow… Some of these works have been the subject of a cinematographic adaptation.

The entire interview with Tatiana de Rosnay (13 mins) can be found at the top of this page Books and youth.

Happy reading and have a good week everyone!