Marilyn Monroe Was A Bigger Brainiac Than You Realized: Her Favorite Book Was A Complex '20s Classic

Marilyn Monroe may been deemed the "dumb blonde" in pop culture through her movie roles, but she was a more thoughtful and well-read than many fans might have realized. One of the most shocking things we learned about Monroe after her death is that she owned more than 400 books, ranging from fiction and poetry to political and philosophical novels. 

And these books weren't just for show since there's a famous photo taken by acclaimed photographer Eve Arnold of Monroe reading "Ulysses" by James Joyce while in a bathing suit. According to Far Out Magazine, Arnold said of how the picture came about, "When we stopped at a local playground to photograph, she got out the book and started to read while I loaded the film. So, of course, I photographed her."

Arnold added: "She said she kept 'Ulysses' in her car and had been reading it for a long time. She said she loved the sound of it and would read it aloud to herself to try to make sense of it, but she found it hard going. She couldn't read it consecutively." "Ulysses" is a complex classical book that many readers either give up on or don't understand. Her efforts to finish the novel hint that the tragic truth about Monroe is that she's a bigger brainiac than modern society gives her credit for.

It should not be too surprising that Marilyn Monroe was interested in reading, since she interacted with many writers during her life. Arthur Miller, the playwright behind iconic stories like "The Crucible" and "Death of a Salesman," was one of Monroe's three husbands.

But the biggest clue that Monroe loved reading came in 1955, when she showed interested in starring in a film based on a book written by Fyodor Dostoevsky, Russia's most famous novelist. Time reported that Monroe said in a press conference that she would like "to play some strong dramatic parts ... like Grushenka, in The Brothers Karamazov ... I don't know. I only hope I can act in it." It's a clear sign that she was interested in literature and sharing her passion with the world. 

Unfortunately, that film was never made. Time said 20th Century-Fox, the studio that was working with Monroe and her production company at the time, rejected the idea, though Billy Wilder tried to make her dream a reality.