The Munkey Diaries

The Munkey Diaries by Jane Birkin

I wrote my diary from the age of 11, addressed to Munkey, my confidant, this stuffed monkey, won in a raffle. He slept by my side, he shared my life with John, Serge, Jacques, he witnessed all the joys and all the sadness. Faced with the devastation of my children, I placed Munkey in Serge's arms in the coffin where he lay, like a pharaoh. My monkey to protect him in the afterlife. Rereading my diaries, it seems obvious to me that we are not changing. What I was at 12, I still am today. The newspapers are inevitably unfair, we show our cards, there are versions of everything, but here, there is only mine. I took it as a principle not to fix anything, and believe me, I would have preferred to have wiser reactions than those I had…”. We thought we knew everything about Jane Birkin, as she has been part of our history for fifty years, until this book which takes us through a flamboyant era, from Swinging London to Saint-Germain-des-Prés in the 70s, and gives read the daily life of a great lover, hilarious and whimsical, and of an exceptional artist. A journal that is both intimate and universal.

Goodreads Rating: ⭐ 4.83/5