Literary liars

[trailerprincess]

James Frey and now JT LeRoy

I am thoroughly disappointed (n)

[mikizee]

whats the story?

[trailerprincess]

Well, the whole James Frey story came out a while ago.

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/0104061jamesfrey1.html

and now it seems that JT LeRoy is also not who he seemed to be.

That, it seems, is exactly what JT LeRoy was thinking when, in 2000, the same year Nasdijj got his first book contract, the young, cross-dressing boy-hustler published his first book, Sarah (Bloomsbury). While the book was positioned as a novel, the author's shocking backstory implied that it was autobiographically inspired, which lent it tremendous prurient appeal. LeRoy, an HIV-positive teenage prostitute, supposedly wrote Sarah after being encouraged by his San Francisco psychologist, who suggested that he channel his tragic childhood experiences into writing. The book captured the imagination of many readers, becoming a national best-seller. And LeRoy parlayed his newfound fame into connections with such notables as Dennis Cooper, Courtney Love, Madonna, Dave Eggers, Michael Chabon, and others. It appears all of LeRoy's connections and friendships were maintained via telephone, fax, and e-mail. Why? The boy wonder was a fake, a creation of the author of Sarah and its follow-up, the ironically titled story collection The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things (Bloomsbury, 2001), which was also adapted and made into a film directed by and starring Asia Argento.

The writer formerly known as JT LeRoy is actually Laura Albert, a woman in her forties with a middle-class background, living in San Francisco. Albert, with the help of her long-term partner, Geoffrey Knoop, and his half-sister Savannah (who, wearing sunglasses, a wig, and a hat, appeared as LeRoy in public), managed to carry on the hoax for over five years. Not only did they publish novels under the name LeRoy-which many readers have begrudgingly excused (it is fiction, after all)-but journalism pieces as well. LeRoy's publishing credits include articles in Spin, Nerve, the Oxford American, and the New York Press, a fact that has many in the publishing industry more than a little peeved.

It's kind of interesting in a way. Had the JT story been told without the drama of 'his life' then would the books have had so much publicity? Probably not.