No, the author is not Jewish. No, she did not survive as a four year old walking across Europe protected by a pack of wolves. Yes, the author is not sure what parts of her best-selling book are true or are when "she found it difficult to differentiate between what was real and what was part of my imagination."
The book is Misha: A Memoire of the Holocaust Years. The author is Misha Defonseca. The sad hoax is reported by CNN at Author: My best-selling Holocaust book is a hoax.
First-hand accounts of history can be really helpful to historians. But historians also know that they can be problematic at times. However, cases of hoaxes can be real vexing. I am not real sure of what to write here other than, "Ouch!" I hope this book does not harm other Holocaust survivors.
3 comments:
We had an infamous case in Australia with a controversial book "The Hand that Signed the Paper" about anti-Semetism in the Ukraine, by Helen Debidenko, who posed as a Ukranian, even going as far as wearing national costume. The novel won a prestigious literary prize when the author was revealed to be of Irish extraction & a complete fraud. The prize was withdraw, the books were withdrawn & only re-released with the authors real name - Helen Darville.
I read about it on CNN too.
What I don't understand is why come forward about it NOW?
My concern would be the survivors - how do they feel about this?
I read the CNN story, and I'm wondering why the author could not tell the real story, that she invented the tale, as a child, because of the loss of her parents. That's a story I would like to read.
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