Impostors: Literary Hoaxes and Cultural Authenticity

Chris Miller’s book called Impostors: Literary Hoaxes and Cultural Authenticity will be published by the University of Chicago Press next fall.   With a boost, both from the rise in mendacity in public life and from current debates about cultural appropriation, the book examines authors from both sides of the Atlantic who have passed their writing off as authentically “other.” Cases include Forrest Carter, JT LeRoy, “Alice,” Danny Santiago, Diderot, Mérimée, Elisa Rhaïs, Boris Vian, Raymond Queneau, Romain Gary, Chimo, and a deep dive into the work of Jack-Alain Léger, AKA “Paul Smaïl.”