The Electric Marilyn in the Mirror

What if the teacher you remember from school had a life you could never have imagined?

Imagine the teacher who helped you work through difficult maths problems, taught you new things and built your confidence. The one who laughed with the class and, when everyone had earned a treat, made room in the timetable for a Friday film. In winter, she took you ice skating in Stockholm’s Kungsträdgården.

Now imagine discovering that she entered a public costume contest, choosing between Charlie Chaplin and Marilyn Monroe—and won as Marilyn.

Soon, you see her in interviews, advertisements, on television, in newspapers and on stage. She travels to Hollywood to study acting. For years, she has told her pupils they can become whatever they dream of. Now it is time to give herself the same permission.

Creativity had been part of Michaela’s life since childhood. At 13, her art teacher and artist, Bruno Snygg, encouraged her to exhibit her work alongside adult artists. This led to her first newspaper feature and interview.

Her journey takes her into music, television and theatre—and to encounters with well-known people around the world. Glamour may catch the eye and open doors, but it is Michaela’s curiosity about people and her way of communicating that make these encounters electric. At Stockholm City Hall, she finds herself seated with Larry Hagman, known around the world as J.R. Ewing, talking about school. The book also reveals the moment the King of Sweden saluted her.

Through Michaela’s paintings, personal biographical stories and authentic photographs, readers discover many sides of her life. She also shares stories she has never told publicly before, and encounters they may recognise but now see in a new light.

The story reaches back to Jens Lassen Dornonville de la Cour, engineer and inventor, and to a family legacy connected to the history of the electrical industry. Creativity, enterprise and reinvention run through the generations. At 91, Michaela’s grandfather moves to a new country and starts yet another business.

At its heart, this is the story of a teacher who spent years building her pupils’ confidence—and then found the courage to pursue her own dream. A richly illustrated book about communication, creativity, glamour and the electric encounters that can open up a world.A stunning art book with  50 inner pages.