Another Literary Hoax
How much more can the publishing world be damaged?
The Washington Post reports today that "the writer penning the novels of "JT LeRoy," a purported 25-year-old former male prostitute and drug addict, has been unmasked as a 40-year-old woman who allegedly undertook the ruse to get her work recognized."
From the article posted today:
"LeRoy never existed and Laura Albert authored the books, according to an attorney for her estranged partner, Geoffrey Knoop.
Knoop, 39, who apologized for playing a role in the hoax, said the stress of keeping it secret had become too much to bear. The couple split in December after 16 years and were trying to work out custody of their young son.
"He's wanted to come clean and let JT fade away," attorney Eric Feig said of Knoop late Monday. "He wanted to take the high road."
He has also secured a movie deal to tell his side of the story, Feig said.
The unveiling of LeRoy comes as the literary world is questioning the work and identities of other authors with hard-luck stories. Nasdijj, an award-winning Navajo author, is believed to be a white writer named Timothy Patrick Barrus. James Frey acknowledged fabricating or embellishing parts of his memoir, "A Million Little Pieces." St. Martin's Press recently added a disclaimer to an upcoming book by Augusten Burroughs, another memoirist who has been challenged."
...and the beat goes on.
The Washington Post reports today that "the writer penning the novels of "JT LeRoy," a purported 25-year-old former male prostitute and drug addict, has been unmasked as a 40-year-old woman who allegedly undertook the ruse to get her work recognized."
From the article posted today:
"LeRoy never existed and Laura Albert authored the books, according to an attorney for her estranged partner, Geoffrey Knoop.
Knoop, 39, who apologized for playing a role in the hoax, said the stress of keeping it secret had become too much to bear. The couple split in December after 16 years and were trying to work out custody of their young son.
"He's wanted to come clean and let JT fade away," attorney Eric Feig said of Knoop late Monday. "He wanted to take the high road."
He has also secured a movie deal to tell his side of the story, Feig said.
The unveiling of LeRoy comes as the literary world is questioning the work and identities of other authors with hard-luck stories. Nasdijj, an award-winning Navajo author, is believed to be a white writer named Timothy Patrick Barrus. James Frey acknowledged fabricating or embellishing parts of his memoir, "A Million Little Pieces." St. Martin's Press recently added a disclaimer to an upcoming book by Augusten Burroughs, another memoirist who has been challenged."
...and the beat goes on.
