"Ever Been Had" and Other Literary Hoaxes
A recent "to-do" in the British literary world involves a phony letter published in a biography of British Poet Laureate John Betjeman. Biographer A. N. Wilson who included the letter in his book admits he should have known better. The letter was sent by "Eve de Harben" which he eventually realized is an anagram for "ever been had".
Stateside, there have been several hoaxes in recent years. The most recent is James Frey's A Million Little Pieces which the author now admits contains much exaggeration and inaccuracies about his battle with drugs and alcohol.
Oprah initially championed Frey's book and was also involved with the author of "Rock and a Hard Place'' Anthony Godby Johnson who as it turns out doesn't actually exist. The memoirs of the HIV postive, 14-year-old who purportedly had been sexually abused by his parents and their friends attracted the attention of Oprah and others including writer Armistead Maupin whose novel The Night Listener is a fictionalized account of the relationship he established (over the phone) with the young man or person claiming to be the young man. "The Night Listener" was recently released as a motion picture starring Robin Williams.
Curious, in the literary world, misrepresentation or outright fraud does not usually lead to legal action. In many cases, the revelations lead to higher sales figures.