The Life and Opinions of Maf the Dog, and of his friend Marilyn Monroe

New
Hardcover
2010
$16.23

In November 1960, Frank Sinatra gave Marilyn Monroe a dog. His name was Maf. He had an instinct for the twentieth century. For politics. For psychoanalysis. For literature. For interior decoration. This is his story. Maf the dog was with Marilyn for the last two years of her life. Not only a picaresque hero himself, he was also a scholar of the adventuring rogue in literature and art, witnessing the rise of America's new liberalism, civil rights, the space race, the New York critics, and was Marilyn Monroe's constant companion. The story of Maf the dog is a hilarious and highly original peek into the life of a complex canine hero - he was very much a real historical figure, with his license and photographs sold at auction along with Marilyn's other person affects. Through the eyes of Maf, we're provided with an insight into the life of Monroe herself, and a fascinating take on one of the most extraordinary periods of the twentieth century.

Synopsis

In November 1960, Frank Sinatra gave Marilyn Monroe a dog. His name was Maf. He had an instinct for the twentieth century. For politics. For psychoanalysis. For literature. For interior decoration. This is his story. Maf the dog was with Marilyn for the last two years of her life. Not only a picaresque hero himself, he was also a scholar of the adventuring rogue in literature and art, witnessing the rise of America's new liberalism, civil rights, the space race, the New York critics, and was Marilyn Monroe's constant companion. The story of Maf the dog is a hilarious and highly original peek into the life of a complex canine hero - he was very much a real historical figure, with his license and photographs sold at auction along with Marilyn's other person affects. Through the eyes of Maf, we're provided with an insight into the life of Monroe herself, and a fascinating take on one of the most extraordinary periods of the twentieth century.

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More Information

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 288
Publisher: Faber and Faber
Published: 01 May 2010
ISBN 10: 057121598X
ISBN 13: 9780571215980
Book Overview: An utterly unique new novel from one of Britain's most exciting literary writers.

Media Reviews

O'Hagan's seductively witty novel, written from the down-low but philosophically lofty vantage point of Mafia Honey, the fluffy white Maltese that was Frank Sinatra's gift to his gentle, needy friend Marilyn. Maf, a British import, is fiercely political (a Trotskyite), erudite and snootily stylish (caring about home decor, he tells us, is part of my pedigree ). He skewers the Hollywood elite while coming to adore his fated companion whose tenuous dreams he can read distinctly even as they're turning to dust. - More Magazine Andrew O'Hagan's book--inspired by Marilyn Monroe's real-life Maltese--is stellar. Whether Maf is buoying his owner's spirits or coolly assessing Susan Sontag, he has a nose for silliness and deep sadness. Of course, it helps that, as he notes, dogs 'can hear what people are saying to themselves, and we can sniff illusion.' This December surprise is a very real contender for the wittiest, wisest, most winning book of the year. - Parade Maf's insights

Author Bio

Andrew O'Hagan was born in Glasgow in 1968. Our Fathers, his debut novel, was shortlisted for the 1999 Booker Prize. His second novel, Personality, won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for Fiction in 2003, and in that same year Granta named him one of the 'Best of Young British Novelists'. He lives in London.