Friday, April 13, 2007

Naked Truth

Last month, Alex Heard wrote an article in the New Republic (read it here; registration is required) in which he takes David Sedaris to task for leavening his writing with untruths. Various book world figures have weighed in, mostly in defense of Sedaris. Now Jack Schafer has posted his summation of the affair at Slate.com. He's quite critical of Sedaris, and the core of his argument is this: "If writing fiction is the license Sedaris and other nonfiction humorists need to get at 'larger truths,' why limit this exemption to humorists? Let reporters covering city hall, war, and business to embellish and exaggerate so they can capture 'larger truths,' too."

But the slate.com article only leaves me wondering: Why does Schafer seem to feel work of art must be true to be worthwhile? I need truth from reporters, because I base my actions and opinions on their words. I need truth from friends, for the same reason: because what they tell me will affect what I do and how I act. But I don't know Sedaris, and the impact of his work does not depend on its veracity.

Schafer wants the words on the page to tell him about the world. I want the words on the page to tell me about an idea and in turn to make me think about the world. If an author can do that, then whether his points and observations are drawn from literal truth or made up from whole cloth doesn't matter.--David E

2 comments:

Jelhai said...

Literature does not have to be factually true to be deeply meaningful -- I don't think you'll find much argument there. The uproar over Sedaris' work is more about his insistence over the years that his stories are not made up. If they are made up, contrary to his many declarations, then he has seriously misled his readers. Even worse, he has damaged the reputation of nonfiction story telling, which most assuredly is based on a foundation of getting the facts right.

Magers and Quinn Booksellers said...

I take issue with a James Frey for misrepresenting his experiences not out of a fetish for truth, but because he gave people who genuinely suffer from addiction the false hope that their recovery might be less arduous than it will likely be. By the same standard, I forgive Sedaris his "exagerations" (as he terms them) because no reader can honestly take his work as a guide on how to be a Macy's elf or otherwise look to them for help and guidance.--David E