The Hoax - Softcover

Irving, Clifford

3.59

389 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1401308546 ISBN 13: 9781401308544

Publisher: Miramax, 2007

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Soon to be a major motion picture -- a no-holds-barred account of the most notorious literary hoax of the twentieth century, written by the perpetrator himself

Before Oprah and TheSmokingGun.com had ever heard of James Frey, there was Clifford Irving. In 1971, he burst onto the literary scene, claiming to have been granted the right to pen the authorized biography of the famously reclusive icon Howard Hughes. Forged documents seemed to bear out his claims, and McGraw-Hill awarded him a contract for the then-enormous sum of $750,000. When Hughes himself emerged from seclusion to denounce Irving as a charlatan, McGraw-Hill stood by their author. It wasnt until Hughes filed suit, and Swiss bank officials got involved, that Irving finally confessed. The Hoax, first published in 1981, is Irving's explosive account of his own misdeeds -- and the inspiration for a soon-to-be released movie starring Richard Gere.

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About the Author:

Clifford Irving was born in New York City and attended Cornell University. Since serving jail time for The Hoax, he has continued to write books. He is the author of several thrillers and true crime books. He lives in Aspen, Colorado.

From AudioFile:

This blockbuster "confessional" by the author of the greatest literary hoax of our time--the "autobiography" of Howard Hughes--was published in Great Britain in 1997 but remained untouched by American publishers until now. When Clifford Irving and his researcher Dick Susskind hatched a plot to write a fake autobiography of the reclusive billionaire, they embarked on a cataclysmic year of double-dealing, corruption, sex, lies, and forgeries. Narrator Joe Barrett is remarkably convincing as the determined author, who finds himself in over his head. Barrett even manages to "sound" fat as Irving's rotund partner-in-crime, Susskind. The surprise scene-stealer is Irving's foreign-born, conniving, money-laundering wife, an impeccable portrayal. No matter what the world thinks of Irving, con man extraordinaire, Barrett makes this book about a bogus book as hair-raising, breathlessly paced, and suspenseful as any spy novel. M.T.B. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award � AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine-- Copyright � AudioFile, Portland, Maine

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