Ten top celebrity appearances in fiction

John O’Farrell's latest book is There’s Only Two David Beckhams. Among his top ten celebrity appearances in fiction, as shared at the Guardian:

Marilyn Monroe in Blonde by Joyce Carol Oates (2000)

This is a reimagining of the life of Marilyn Monroe prior to her celebrity. The inspiration for the book wasn’t so much Monroe (whom, Joyce Carol Oates says, “I scarcely knew, and didn’t much admire because I didn’t know”) but a way of observing a lost America via a black and white picture of Norma Jean Baker aged 17. Obviously, this didn’t stop various publishers around the world putting a large picture of Monroe in her prime on the cover.

Read about another entry on the list.

Blonde also appears among Michel Schneider's top ten books on Marilyn Monroe, Ron Hansen's five best literary tales of real-life crimes, and Janet Fitch's book list.

--Marshal Zeringue