![]() ![]() The letters were sold to memorabilia and autograph dealers – two of her ‘Coward’ letters were even included in a Coward biography. Louise Brooks, the left-hemispheric actress turned essayist and critic, a fabulous creature – literate, passionate, bitter as a root, a great destroyer of Hollywood myth, and an Olympic hater… Israel penned more than 300 fake letters, imitating the styles of famous writers including Dorothy Parker, Noël Coward, and Louise Brooks. ![]() Add meticulous copying of autographs and the acquisition of various vintage typewriters, and she was all set. Having previously written biographies, Israel knew how to research and access historical documents. It’s a slim volume, describing the years when Israel finds demand for her writing has dried up and she’s strapped for cash. I had never known anything but ‘up’ in my career, had never received even one of those formatted no-thank-you slips that successful writers look back upon with triumphant jocularity. She fesses up to her criminal activity in her memoir, Can You Ever Forgive Me? (and yes, let’s park the fact that she profited from writing a memoir about her crime). But I’d never heard of Lee Israel – best-selling author and ‘literary forger’. Who isn’t intrigued by a literary scandal? As I type, a few pop to mind – Helen Demidenko, James Frey, and whether Harper Lee ever wanted Go Set a Watchman to be published. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |