Imagine: How Creativity Works by Jonah Lehrer is currently #14 on the NY Times Nonfiction Hardcover Best Seller List and has sold over 200,000 copies to date. The Times summarizes the book by writing, “An account of the science of creativity argues that it is not a gift but a thought process that can be learned.” I think this is an interesting topic and I’d previously put this onto my Amazon wish list to check out later.
Now his book is being pulled from the market by publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. I just checked and both the hardcover and e-book versions have disappeared from Amazon (although the audio book version is still there).
It seems that Lehrer might have been a bit too creative when writing his book, fabricating quotes from Bob Dylan. The Wrap reports:
“Three weeks ago, I received an email from journalist Michael Moynihan asking about Bob Dylan quotes in my book ‘Imagine,’” Lehrer, 31, said in a statement. “The quotes in question either did not exist, were unintentional misquotations, or represented improper combinations of previously existing quotes. But I told Mr. Moynihan that they were from archival interview footage provided to me by Dylan’s representatives. This was a lie spoken in a moment of panic. When Mr. Moynihan followed up, I continued to lie, and say things I should not have said.”
He’s now resigned from The New Yorker.
Lehrer has also come under fire for plagiarizing himself.
The seemingly prodigious young writer drew criticism last month when he admittedly recycled his own writing in blog posts for the New Yorker, including lines taken almost verbatim from previously published Wall Street Journal essays.
Lehrer’s other books include The Decisive Moment and How We Decide. I’d be curious to know more about the decisive moment when Lehrer decided to simply make up stuff.
Curious to know – is there a law against plagiarizing oneself? Interesting concept!!
There’s no law that I know of. It’s more a matter of his reputation. And very likely that the WSJ owns the copyright on whatever he wrote for them and if he’s re-using it for another publication without permission, then he could be sued by the WSJ. Also I suspect he’d be in breach of contract with the New Yorker for offering previously published material as original.
Oh … and don’t forget, Saul Zaentz sued John Fogerty saying that his solo song The Old Man Down The Road was plagiarized from his Creedence song Run Through the Jungle, Zaentz owning the copyright on all Creedence material. Fogerty won the suit but lost a different lawsuit to Zaentz when he came out with a song called Zanz Cant Danz and was sued for defamation.
Your first point – yes agreed. You’re second point – WTF!!??
I have the early edition of Fogerty’s LP containing the offending song. On later copies he was forced to change it to a more generic “Vanz”. For many years a bitter Fogerty refused to perform the great songs that made his reputation because he didn’t want to put money into Zaentz’s pocket.