Goldie Hawn To Publish Her Memoir With G.P. Putnam's Sons

Posted on February 28, 2003

Actress Goldie Hawn has reached an agreement with G.P. Putnam's Sons, a division of Penguin Group (USA), to write her memoir, it was announced by Carole Baron, President of the imprint. The hotly pursued memoir, currently titled A Lotus Grows in the Mud: Footprints of a Spiritual Life, will be written by Ms. Hawn. G.P. Putnam's Sons, who acquired world rights, will publish the book in hardcover in 2004, followed by a paperback edition from Berkley in 2005. Literary manager Alan Nevins of The Firm, based in Beverly Hills, negotiated Ms. Hawn's world rights deal with G.P. Putnam's Sons senior editor David Highfill.

David Highfill said, "Goldie's life has been -- and is -- full of stories and she has the knack of one born to tell them. Her warm personality matches her striking radiance. She has the sort of effervescent humor, generous charm and hard-won wisdom that readers will find irresistible."

Ms. Hawn's memoir will be about her journey towards fulfillment -- the lessons she learned in life and the wisdom she can now impart with the hope of inspiring others. This will not be a Hollywood "tell-all," but rather a very personal, spiritual reflection on her life. Ms. Hawn believes we are defined by how we develop qualities of the human spirit, such as a sense of responsibility, a sense of harmony, contentment, love, compassion, kindness, patience, tolerance and forgiveness. In her memoir, she will look back on her experiences growing up, her parents, living in New York, developing a career in Hollywood, her marriages, her children, and her current 20-year relationship with Kurt Russell. She will talk about how she survived personal struggles and painful moments, transformed herself spiritually and reached a point of mindful living. In the process, she has become an inspirational role model in many communities.

Goldie Hawn said, "I am thrilled and honored to be making my maiden voyage into the literary world with the support and understanding of Putnam. It will be a welcome challenge to share my intimate perspective on the experiences that have helped illuminate my path to a more spiritual and joyful life."

A dancer since the age of three and professional actress by the time she was 16, Ms. Hawn burst onto the national scene as a cast member on television's Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In from 1968 through 1970, earning two Emmy nominations. In her first major film role, in 1969's Cactus Flower, she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and the Golden Globe. Her subsequent film roles included Sugarland Express, Shampoo, Private Benjamin (earning her a Best Actress Academy Award nomination) and, more recently, Swing Shift (on the set of which she met Kurt Russell), Death Becomes Her, The First Wives Club and The Banger Sisters.

Ms. Hawn has also worked behind the camera as producer of such films as Private Benjamin, Protocol and Wildcats along with other various television projects, including When Billy Beat Bobby and The Matthew Shepard Story. In addition, she balances many different aspects of her life. She is the mother of three, including Academy Award-nominated actress Kate Hudson (Almost Famous). She is a world traveler and is a self-described "Jewish Buddhist" -- annually visiting India and spending time with the Dalai Lama.