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This will go down as the week when troubled child writers everywhere lost credibility forever. Pretty amazing that the famous male writer JT Leroy ("pictured") not only isn't a male, but isn't actually a person either — he's just as fictional as his novels! And doubly amazing that while we were still tryig to process this information, word arrives that James Frey's bestselling memoir, A Million Little Pieces, isn't so much a memoir as an almost complete fabrication. At first glance, this might not all seem like such a big deal: books are concocted out of thin air all the time, after all. But both of these authors used false stories about themselves to garner sympathy, publicity, and (in Leroy's case) financial assistance from supporters. Leroy and Frey, in our opinion, thus deserve to never see publication again.
Anyway, on to the listings (which are still sparse, two weeks after the holiday season)...
Events Around London:
Tonight (the 11th), Nobel Museum Director Svante Lindqvist discusses how the Nobel Prizes and the ciritism they garner reflect outlooks of the 20th century. The British Library, 96 Euston Road. 6:30pm. £6/concessions £4.
On Friday (the 13th — oooh), Alan Hollinghurst stops by the Savile Club for a conversation with Jon Cook. Presumably, you'll be allowed to attend even if you aren't a member. 69 Brook Street. Doors at 6:30pm, events begins at 7pm. £10.
New Releases:
Vanish, by Tess Garritsen
Superstition, by Karen Robards
A Sign of the Times, by Mary Jane Staples
Keeping Faith, by Jodi Picoult
The Tango Singer, by Tomas Eloy Martinez
Other News:
Click on the following links for the breaking news on Leroy and Frey.