Who Are You, Polly Maggoo?

Klein’s madcap romp of a photo-novel brilliantly translates his cult ’60s film into book form

The publication ingeniously translates into book form the zany universe of the film. Klein’s masterful framing gives exquisite rhythm to its page composition and flow as we follow the crazy adventures of the extraordinary heroine in a madcap race through the streets and rooftops of Paris, all the way up to a distant palace lost in the snow.

Born in New York, William Klein (1926–2022) was a multidisciplinary artist whose practice revolutionized photography, particularly fashion and street photography. His fashion work was the subject of several iconic photobooks, including Life Is Good and Good for You in New York (1957) and Tokyo (1964). In the 1980s, he turned to film projects. His works are held in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, and the Art Institute of Chicago, among others.