New book on Chanel yields surprises, says author Simon

Professor of English Linda Simon has written a new biography of Coco Chanel(Reaktion Books, September 2011), the brilliant, iconic fashion designer.

Her research for the book, part of the publisher's "Critical Lives" Series, yielded surprises, writes Simon for Huffington Post. Chanel "didn't sew and couldn't draw". She lied to cover a past of which she was ashamed; she lied to cover her own insecurities," notes Simon.

Writes Kirkus reviewer Jessa Crispin, "That Chanel was a force to be reckoned with there is no doubt. Her perfumes, clothing and personal image are all tied closely to our ideas of sophisticated sexiness. She was a ruthless businesswoman, extremely competitive and very interested in fame and wealth. Yet she was also very editorial with her real-life history, destroying evidence, conjuring fables and making the lives of her biographers extremely difficult - perhaps that is why so many are prone to confabulation."

Click here to read the Kirkus interview with Simon. Read more about the book at the distributor's web site.

Simon will discuss the book in an interview on WAMC-FM's "Roundtable," between 10 and 11 a.m. Monday, Sept. 12.