Another author is in the news for lying about the research he'd done. Or rather, not done. Thomas Kohnstamm has written a book called "Do travel writers go to hell? : a swashbuckling tale of high adventures, questionable ethics, and professional hedonism". It's about his life as a (former) writer for Lonely Planet travel guides. You can hear him talk about it at the Auckland Readers and Writers Festival in May. As the the Lonely Planet website says "Specifically, Thomas claims that during his time as a travel author, he skipped visiting certain destinations, plagiarised from other sources and traded good reviews for in-kind favours. " The Lonely Planet website has both a response and a specially set-up forum for people to discuss the issue. It goes on to detail what they've managed to find out so far.
Who else has lied? James Frey, author of "A million little pieces" was in the news in early 2006 for conning Oprah. He'd exaggerated events including a jail stint that was hours, not days, long. "Forbidden love : a harrowing true story of love and revenge in Jordan" by Norma Khouri wasn't a true story after all. Not only did she lie in the book but she lied in person as well.
Why do I care so much? They were all published as non-fiction/information books. A genre that I can usually trust. I understand that unless authors are being followed around with cameras and recording equipment it's unlikely that they'll present a truely accurate record of events. However, I do expect them to be in the ballpark. I like my stories to be in fiction thanks.
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