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The Poet and the Murderer Simon Worrall

The Poet and the Murderer By Simon Worrall

The Poet and the Murderer by Simon Worrall


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Summary

The true story of a brilliantly forged Emily Dickinson poem sold at Sotheby's in 1997. The author's detective work led him across America, to a prison cell in Salt Lake City, where the world's greatest literary forger, Mark Hofmann, is serving a life sentence for double-murder.

The Poet and the Murderer Summary

The Poet and the Murderer: A True Story of Verse, Violence and the Art of Forgery by Simon Worrall

The true story of a brilliantly forged Emily Dickinson poem sold at Sotheby's in 1997. The author's detective work led him across America, to a prison cell in Salt Lake City, where the world's greatest literary forger, Mark Hofmann, is serving a life sentence for double-murder. Mark Hoffman is no ordinary murderer. Until he was incarcerated he was the world's greatest literary forger: a man who combined meticulous historical research with craftsmanship and forensic science. In 1997, one of his most accomplished forgeries, a poem by the much-loved 19th-century poet Emily Dickinson, turned up at a Sotheby's and was sold for $21,000 to the library in Dickinson's home town, Amherst. The find was the equivalent of unearthing a Shakespeare sonnet. However, Daniel Lombardo, the curator at the library in Amherst who had raised the money for the poem, was plagued by doubts. He had learned of a possible link between the poem and the notorious Mark Hoffman. Appalled at the prospect of having let down his home town, Lombardo was drawn into an investigation which, to his horror, revealed the extent of Hoffman's genius. Simon Worrall stumbled across the story and resolved to find out more about the fake's trajectory across America. He delves into Hoffman's Mormon background, his self-hypnosis, his unparalleled skill at replicating the exact circumstances of a document's manufacture. He explores the history of literary forgery from the Ptolemaic Egyptians to the present day; he uncovers the cunning behind Hoffman's car-bomb murders; he is drawn into a labyrinth of secretive deals and mysterious middlemen. In this literary mystery thriller Worrall deals with the secretive world of the Mormon church, the historical documents business, the science of forensic testing and the glamour of the auction houses. He also brings the characters alive: Emily Dickinson herself in 1871 - the year the poem was purportedly written; Lombado and his journey from innocence to experience; the Dickinson expert Ralph Franklin who had originally informed Sotheby's that the poem was authentic. Above all, this is the definitive account of the Rembrandt of literary forgery, one of the most chillingly compelling criminals the world has ever seen.

The Poet and the Murderer Reviews

This remarkable piece of non-fiction tells the story of a forger of manuscripts who became a double murderer in order to avoid detection. Born into a Mormon community, Mark Hoffman began his criminal activity by 'discovering' a series of texts relating to the foundation of the religion. He then forged and managed to pass off as authentic a variety of manuscripts apparently by various American historical and literary figures. One of these was a poem by Emily Dickinson, which was bought by a library in Amherst in 1997 for $21,000. Worrall begins with the Dickinson affair, and works backwards in a book which manages to reflect compellingly and informatively upon Mormonism, forgery, Dickinson and the trade in rare manuscripts. Stranger than fiction, indeed.

About Simon Worrall

Simon Worrall was born in Wellington, England in 1951, and spent his childhood in East Africa. He has worked as a dramaturge and a playwright, and taught English in China. His journalism has been published in a variety of national newspapers and magazines, including the Observer, the Sunday Times and the New Yorker. He lives in East Hampton, New York.

Additional information

GOR001286241
9781841155869
1841155861
The Poet and the Murderer: A True Story of Verse, Violence and the Art of Forgery by Simon Worrall
Used - Very Good
Hardback
HarperCollins Publishers
20020819
336
N/A
Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
This is a used book - there is no escaping the fact it has been read by someone else and it will show signs of wear and previous use. Overall we expect it to be in very good condition, but if you are not entirely satisfied please get in touch with us

Customer Reviews - The Poet and the Murderer