Skip to main content
Gayle Crowther

Gayle Crowther

Dr. Gail Crowther is a freelance writer, researcher, and academic specializing in literary history, including works on Sylvia Plath, Anne Sexton, Dorothy Parker, and Marilyn Monroe.

Jun 30, 2026

6:56
Tell us about this photo with, with Ulysses and why it's causing such a stir even still.
7:02
So the photograph, um, that we're talking about, in fact it's just over my shoulder in that frame there, was a photograph that was taken by Eve Arnold.
7:10
And it happened almost purely by chance because Eve Arnold was doing a photo shoot with Marilyn and the, the actual official shoot was over and so Marilyn had changed out of the outfit that she had been wearing and just changed into a very casual stripey top and black shorts.
7:29
And while everybody was packing up from the shoot, Marilyn was waiting for them and she pulled out a copy of Ulysses and just started reading it.
7:37
And the photographer, Eve Arnold, just kind of looked over and did a double take and thought, "This is such a wonderful shot." And so she, she took a few shots of Marilyn reading Ulysses.
7:47
And this was a book, the James Joyce book, that Marilyn told Eve Arnold that she'd bought, um, in New York and ke- she kept it in the glove compartment of her car.
8:00
And whenever she had any free time, she'd just pull the book out and she would start reading it and she, she liked the way that the words sounded.

7 MINS LATER

15:11
So what, what was at the, in the end, what was Miller's influence on her as, as a reader or the other way around?

We value your privacy

We use cookies to understand how you use our platform and to improve your experience. Click “Accept All” to consent, or “Decline non-essential” to opt out of non-essential cookies. Read our Privacy Policy.