I have been thinking for a while that I ought to say something about the latest round of false memoir revelations that various people in publishing have been getting so exercised about. But really, what can you say? Everyone knows that “reality” TV is heavily scripted. What makes anything think that “true life memoirs” are going to be true just because they are in a book and not on TV?
Now, however, things have gone too far. Via Matt Cheney I learn of an article in today’s New York Times that exposes Franz Kafka as a fraud. Although Kafka claimed to have made up “The Metamorphosis”, the NYT has now revealed that Gregor Samsa was a real person who actually did turn into a giant cockroach. Is nothing sacred? Before we know where we are, someone will be claiming that Jeff Lint never existed.
You know, I just read the story myself and couldn’t figure out if it was supposed to be a joke or not. Even if Kafka created the story based on something factual — the narrative is still his own as well as the deeper meanings behind the “metamorphosis”. I mean, “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” could have been written about the author’s kids who believed in a fantasy world with those exact characters, but does that detract from the story?
The main thing that threw me off about the article (and maybe I read it wrong…?) was that it claimed to quote a tearful phone conversation with Kafka where he admitted he was a fraud. Am I on crazy pills? Did I read this wrong? Kafka, who died in the 1920s? Or his brother, that is also 100% dead? How is this a breaking story when Kafka and everyone surrounding him is long dead?
Or am I missing something here?
I’d be curious to hear responses…..
brian in cleveland