“Fact or Fiction, It’s His Story”
The New York Times has an interesting article on Doubleday’s reaction, or lack thereof, to the James Frey kerfuffle.
“Memoir is a personal history whose aim is to illuminate, by way of example, events and issues of broader social consequence,” said a statement issued by Doubleday and Anchor Books, the divisions of Random House Inc. that published the book in hardcover and paperback, respectively. “By definition, it is highly personal. In the case of Mr. Frey, we decided ‘A Million Little Pieces’ was his story, told in his own way, and he represented to us that his version of events was true to his recollections.
“Recent accusations against him notwithstanding, the power of the overall reading experience is such that the book remains a deeply inspiring and redemptive story for millions of readers.”
I feel that the discussion of how much fiction is ‘allowed’ in nonfiction and vice versa in literature is a valid one and not a new one. Books like The Things They Carried or Lunar Park blur the lines between fact and fiction. Do nonfiction authors bear the responsibility to declare what is true and what is not so true in their books? Or only when they are Oprah books and some people are using them as methods of getting clean?
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