Fakes, Forgeries, and Fictitious Authors

Descrizione
Texts purporting to be something they're not, or by authors who don't exist. Includes intentional hoaxes as well as cases where the fictional pretense was transparent or not intended to fool audiences, or authors who obscured their identity out of necessity. I'd prefer not to list fakes that are expoitative or harmful (i.e. falsified memoirs of suffering, racist tracts).
1
Il castello di Otranto
di Horace Walpole
3,680 utenti
125 recensioni
3.1
2 Members
spiphany, rgashby
Spiegazioni
spiphany: Originally published under a pseudonym and claiming to be a translation from the Italian. "Found manuscript" genre.
2
Storia di O
di Pauline Réage
3,634 utenti
81 recensioni
½ 3.3
Member
bluepiano
Spiegazioni
bluepiano: This woman knew how to keep a secret. (Cf Ingeborg Day.)
3
Storia dei re di Britannia
di Geoffrey of Monmouth
2,668 utenti
21 recensioni
½ 3.6
Member
spiphany
Spiegazioni
spiphany: 11th century Latin chronicle supposedly based on ancient British sources. Highly influential into the 16th century, but now considered to be more fabulation than history.
4
Aut-aut: estetica ed etica nella formazione della personalita
di Søren Kierkegaard
1,928 utenti
16 recensioni
3.9
Member
bluepiano
Spiegazioni
bluepiano: Et al. This one written by Victor Eremita. Cf Pessoa.
5
Lettere persiane
di Charles Louis de Secondat Montesquieu
1,751 utenti
18 recensioni
½ 3.7
Member
spiphany
6
His Bloody Project: Documents Relating to the Case of Roderick Macrae
di Graeme Macrae Burnet
1,598 utenti
84 recensioni
3.9
Member
spiphany
Spiegazioni
spiphany: Written in the style of a "true crime" novel but made up of fictional historical documents. Not intended to deceive.
7
My Life as a Fake
di Peter Carey
1,501 utenti
36 recensioni
½ 3.3
Member
spiphany
Spiegazioni
spiphany: Novel about a literary hoax that takes on a life of its own. Inspired by the Ern Malley affair.
8
La vita davanti a sé
di Romain Gary
1,451 utenti
39 recensioni
4.1
Member
bluepiano
Spiegazioni
bluepiano: Emile Ajar won his second Prix Goncourt for this.
9
Il tesoro della Sierra Madre
di B. Traven
986 utenti
21 recensioni
4.1
Member
spiphany
Spiegazioni
spiphany: The real identity of the German-language writer behind the pseudonym still remains a matter of much debate and speculation.
10
Alì e Nina
di Kurban Said
954 utenti
48 recensioni
3.8
Member
spiphany
Spiegazioni
spiphany: Author behind the pseudonym is still disputed; possibly Essad Bey/Lev Nussimbaum
11
Chatterton
di Peter Ackroyd
880 utenti
16 recensioni
½ 3.6
Member
spiphany
Spiegazioni
spiphany: Novel about Thomas Chatterton (see this list) and an exploration of fiction and authenticity more generally.
12
Codex Seraphinianus
di Luigi Serafini
794 utenti
32 recensioni
½ 4.6
Member
spiphany
Spiegazioni
spiphany: An illustrated encyclopedia written in a nonsense script (i.e., a non-text pretending to be a text). A literary/artistic experiment, not a hoax, though drawing inspiration from the undeciphered Voynich manuscript (which has been suspected of being a forgery).
13
James Tiptree Jr: The Double Life of Alice B. Sheldon
di Julie Phillips
745 utenti
32 recensioni
½ 4.3
Member
spiphany
14
Il diario di Jane Somers
di Doris Lessing
545 utenti
12 recensioni
3.9
Member
spiphany
Spiegazioni
spiphany: Published by Lessing under a pseudonym to make a point about how the acceptance of manuscripts and reception of publications is influenced by how famous the author is.
15
Lunedì nero per il commissario Dupin
di Jean-Luc Bannalec
514 utenti
29 recensioni
½ 3.5
Member
spiphany
Spiegazioni
spiphany: The pseudonym was originally given a fictional biography as a French-German writer from Brest, but later revealed to be German publisher Jörg Bong.
16
Knickerbocker's History of New York
di Washington Irving
428 utenti
2 recensioni
3.2
Member
spiphany
Spiegazioni
spiphany: As a publicity stunt prior to publication of the book, Irving spread false reports about the disappearance of the purported author of the book, Dutch historian Mr. Knickerbocker
17
Gli*ingredienti segreti dell'amore
di Nicolas Barreau
339 utenti
21 recensioni
3.2
Member
spiphany
Spiegazioni
spiphany: The Frenchman Nicolas Barreau (along with the German translator Sophie Scherrer) may in fact be German author Daniele Thiele.
18
Les Chansons de Bilitis
di Pierre Louÿs
286 utenti
4 recensioni
3.8
Member
spiphany
Spiegazioni
spiphany: Poems in the manner of Sappho, presented as translations from the ancient Greek.
19
Lettere di una monaca portoghese
di Mariana Alcoforado
280 utenti
2 recensioni
½ 3.3
Member
spiphany
20
Fernando Pessoa & Co.: Selected Poems
di Fernando Pessoa
265 utenti
4 recensioni
4.2
Member
spiphany
Spiegazioni
spiphany: Pessoa is famous for his use of various personas or "heteronyms". No intent to deceive in this case.
21
The Disappearance of Adele Bedeau
di Graeme Macrae Burnet
247 utenti
16 recensioni
½ 3.7
Member
spiphany
Spiegazioni
spiphany: Purports to be a translation from the French
22
The Kasidah of Haji Abdu El-Yezdi
di Sir Richard Francis Burton
178 utenti
½ 3.7
Member
spiphany
Spiegazioni
spiphany: Pseudotranslation by Arabist Richard Burton, purportedly of of a Persian poem by Hâjî Abdû El-Yezdî
23
The City of Light
di Jacob d'Ancona
169 utenti
5 recensioni
3.1
Member
spiphany
Spiegazioni
spiphany: The existence of the manuscript upon which Selbourne's translation is based has never been established, and seems likely to be a fiction.
24
Poesie di Ossian : figlio di Fingal antico poeta celtico
di James Macpherson
151 utenti
9 recensioni
½ 3.6
Member
spiphany
Spiegazioni
spiphany: Claimed to be translations of ancient Celtic epic poetry, but in fact largely MacPherson's own creation
25
Nom de Plume: A (Secret) History of Pseudonyms
di Carmela Ciuraru
147 utenti
6 recensioni
3.8
Member
spiphany
26
Nat Tate: An American Artist: 1928-1960
di William Boyd
141 utenti
33 recensioni
3.1
Member
spiphany
27
The Facts of Winter
di Paul Poissel
136 utenti
4 recensioni
3.8
Member
bluepiano
Spiegazioni
bluepiano: Pseudonym + convincing cod non-fiction
28
Panter, Tiger & Co.: Eine neue Auswahl aus seinen Schriften und Gedichten
di Kurt Tucholsky
130 utenti
1 recensione
½ 4.3
Member
spiphany
Spiegazioni
spiphany: Like many satirists, Tucholsky mostly published his writing under a variety of aliases, each of whom had their own distinct persona
29
Sarah Binks
di Paul G. Hiebert
122 utenti
4 recensioni
½ 3.7
Member
spiphany
Spiegazioni
spiphany: Biography of a poet who never existed
30
I notturni di Bonaventura
di August Klingemann
113 utenti
2 recensioni
4
Member
spiphany
Spiegazioni
spiphany: The author behind "Bonaventura" was debated into the 1980s. Now generally accepted as being August Klingemann.
31
Geoffrey Hill's New and Collected Poems: 1952-1992
di Geoffrey Hill
111 utenti
½ 4.3
Member
spiphany
Spiegazioni
spiphany: Includes the "Songbook Of Sebastian Arrurruz", pseudotranslations of a fictitious Spanish poet.
32
A Hero's Daughter
di Andreï Makine
109 utenti
2 recensioni
½ 3.4
Member
spiphany
Spiegazioni
spiphany: Russian-born Makine originally had to pretend that his French manuscripts were translations because publishers refused to believe he had written them in French. Makine also later published several novels under the pseudonym Gabriel Osmonde, whose identity was only discovered in 2011.
33
The Ern Malley Affair
di Michael Heyward
104 utenti
2 recensioni
4
Member
bluepiano
Spiegazioni
bluepiano: Companion volume to the collection of his poetry.
34
The Diary of a Young Lady of Fashion
di Magdalen King-Hall
101 utenti
3 recensioni
½ 3.4
Member
spiphany
35
Forgers and Critics: Creativity and Duplicity in Western Scholarship
di Anthony Grafton
99 utenti
½ 4.7
Member
spiphany
36
Il libro dei libri bugiardi: l'avventura millenaria dei falsi letterari
di Melissa Katsoulis
97 utenti
6 recensioni
½ 3.4
Member
spiphany
37
An Incomplete History of the Art of Funerary Violin
di Rohan Kriwaczek
92 utenti
1 recensione
3.1
Member
spiphany
Spiegazioni
spiphany: Presented as a work of musical history about a genre that never existed. According to the author the fiction was not intended as a hoax.
38
Biografi
di Lloyd Jones
88 utenti
3 recensioni
½ 3.5
Member
spiphany
Spiegazioni
spiphany: Attracted criticism for the way it blends factual travelogue and fiction
39
Yankee Lawyer: The Autobiography of Ephraim Tutt
di Ephraim Tutt
77 utenti
5
Member
spiphany
Spiegazioni
spiphany: Arthur Train, a lawyer, published numerous stories about legal cases by the fictional Ephraim Tutt; the publication of Tutt's "autobiography" caused much confusion about whether Tutt was in fact fictional.
40
Marbot: A Biography
di Wolfgang Hildesheimer
75 utenti
1 recensione
½ 3.6
Member
spiphany
Spiegazioni
spiphany: Biography of a fictional nineteenth-century British nobleman and art critic
41
Their Brilliant Careers: The Fantastic Lives of Sixteen Extraordinary Australian Writers
di Ryan O'Neill
52 utenti
3 recensioni
½ 4.3
Member
spiphany
42
I, Libertine
di Theodore Sturgeon
51 utenti
2 recensioni
½ 3.4
Member
spiphany
43
La vita sessuale di Immanuel Kant
di Jean-Baptiste Botul
46 utenti
1 recensione
3
Member
spiphany
44
Crimes of Writing: Problems in the Containment of Representation
di Susan Stewart
45 utenti
½ 4.5
Member
spiphany
45
Papa Hamlet / Ein Tod.
di Arno Holz
44 utenti
½ 3.4
Member
spiphany
Spiegazioni
spiphany: Book by two German authors, originally published under the pseudonym Bjarne P. Holmsen as a translation from the Norwegian
46
The Letters of Wanda Tinasky
di Wanda Tinasky
38 utenti
1 recensione
½ 3.3
Member
spiphany
Spiegazioni
spiphany: Persona used for a number of reader letters sent to two California newspapers in the 1980s. Real identity was likely the poet Tom Hawkins.
47
On the Choice of a Mistress & Other Satires & Hoaxes
di Benjamin Franklin
36 utenti
3.8
Member
spiphany
Spiegazioni
spiphany: Franklin had a number of pseudonymous personas which he used when publishing satirical commentary.
50
Faking Literature
di K. K. Ruthven
30 utenti
3.8
Member
spiphany
51
Collected Poems
di Michael Donaghy
27 utenti
1 recensione
4
Member
spiphany
Spiegazioni
spiphany: Includes "Seven Poems from the Welsh" attributed to the fictional poet Sion ap Brydydd.
52
Shiki Nagaoka: A Nose for Fiction
di Mario Bellatin
27 utenti
1 recensione
½ 3.6
Member
spiphany
53
The Rowley Poems
di Thomas Chatterton
27 utenti
1 recensione
Member
spiphany
54
The Balloon Hoax
di Edgar Allan Poe
24 utenti
3.2
Member
spiphany
55
The Sin Eater and The Washer of the Ford and Other Legendary Mortalities
di Fiona Macleod
20 utenti
½ 4.3
Member
spiphany
Spiegazioni
spiphany: William Sharp went so far as to enlist his sister to assist him in maintaining the ruse of Fiona MacLeod being a real person.
56
Ern Malley - Collected Poems (Imprint poetry)
di Ern Malley
18 utenti
1 recensione
3
Member
spiphany
57
Katerina Brac
di Christopher Reid
17 utenti
2.8
Member
spiphany
58
Los poemas de Sidney West
di Juan Gelman
16 utenti
½ 3.5
Member
spiphany
59
Ananios of Kleitor
di George Economou
14 utenti
1 recensione
½ 4.3
Member
bluepiano
Spiegazioni
bluepiano: I've read more than one review treating this as a work of non-fiction.
60
Deliquescences of Adoré Floupette
di Henri Beauclair
14 utenti
1 recensione
3.8
Member
spiphany
61
A Digit of the Moon
di F. W. Bain
13 utenti
5
Member
bluepiano
Spiegazioni
bluepiano: Not a story from Sanskrit despite some critics of the time believing it was.
62
The Oera Linda Book
di J.G. Ottema
13 utenti
1 recensione
4
Member
spiphany
63
Arioflotga
di Frank Kuppner
11 utenti
3.2
Member
bluepiano
Spiegazioni
bluepiano: a poetic index, a false history of its MS
64
Spectra : a book of poetic experiments
di Emanuel Morgan
10 utenti
4
Member
spiphany
65
Jilted city
di Patrick McGuinness
8 utenti
½ 4.5
Member
spiphany
Spiegazioni
spiphany: Includes a number of ostensible translations of the Romanian poet Liviu Campanu, alongside original poems and translations of actually existing poets.
66
The Algerine Spy in Pennsylvania
di Peter Markoe
8 utenti
1 recensione
4
Member
spiphany
67
Das Kleine Lexikon der Provinzliteratur
di Pedro Lenz
8 utenti
4
Member
spiphany
68
The love poems of Marichiko
di Marichiko
7 utenti
5
Member
spiphany
Spiegazioni
spiphany: Pseudotranslation by American poet and translator Kenneth Rexroth pretending to be a young Japanese woman.
69
Impostors: Literary Hoaxes and Cultural Authenticity
di Christopher L. Miller
7 utenti
5
Member
spiphany
70
The Wisdom of Uncle Kasimir
di Gabi Czerniak
7 utenti
½ 3.5
Member
bluepiano
Spiegazioni
bluepiano: I've seen this too reviewed as non-fiction.
71
Walladmor
di Willibald Alexis
6 utenti
½ 3.5
Member
spiphany
Spiegazioni
spiphany: The young author presented his novel as a German translation of a book by his idol, Walter Scott.
73
Vortigern, an historical tragedy in five acts represented at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane and Henry the Second.
di William Henry Ireland
6 utenti
Member
spiphany
Spiegazioni
spiphany: "Lost Shakespeare" manuscripts forged by Ireland in the 18th century
74
The pleasant and surprizing adventures of Mr. Robert Drury, during his fifteen years captivity on the island of ...
di Daniel Defoe
6 utenti
Member
spiphany
Spiegazioni
spiphany: 18th century account by a shipwrecked sailor in Madagascar, later believed to be a fiction (possibly by Defoe), but may in fact be genuine.
75
Echo's Grove
di Derek Mahon
6 utenti
Member
spiphany
Spiegazioni
spiphany: Collection of translations and adaptations of various poets, including poems by the fictional Indian poet Gopal Singh.
76
Saracen Island: The Poems of Andreas Karavis
di David Solway
5 utenti
Member
spiphany
Spiegazioni
spiphany: Supported by various people who were aware of or had recognized the pretense but spontaneously decided to play along, including a dentist who posed as Karavis for the press. The author has published several additional pseudotranslations by other personas.
77
Trojan War: The Chronicles of Dictys of Crete and Dares the Phrygian
di R. M. Frazer
5 utenti
Member
spiphany
Spiegazioni
spiphany: Two two frauds or fictions from antiquity, both purportedly written by survivors of the Trojan War.
78
The Elegies of Quintilius
di Peter Russell
5 utenti
Member
spiphany
Spiegazioni
spiphany: The Roman poet "Quintilius" is an invention of Russell
79
Land of the Snow Men
di George Belden
5 utenti
Member
bluepiano
Spiegazioni
bluepiano: pseudonym + convincing cod non-fiction--good review here: http://cafeirreal.alicewhittenburg.com/review6.htm
80
The Bowmen
di Arthur Machen
5 utenti
Member
bluepiano
Spiegazioni
bluepiano: In a way, the inverse of the others: the story was straightforwardly fiction but the public turned it into a hoax after the fact.
81
The Poems of Renata Ferreira (Portuguese in the Americas Series)
di Frank X. Gaspar
4 utenti
Member
spiphany
82
Remains of Nithsdale and Galloway song: with historical and traditional notices relative to the manners and customs of the peasantry
di Robert Hartley Cromek
4 utenti
Member
spiphany
Spiegazioni
spiphany: Collection of "old Scottish ballads" which were mostly original creations of a contemporary poet, Allan Cunningham. Cromek may or may not have been aware of the poems' real origins.
83
Transgressing the Boundaries: Toward a Transformative Hermeneutics of Quantum Gravity.
di Alan Sokal
3 utenti
4
Member
bluepiano
Spiegazioni
bluepiano: Why didn't this occur to me straight away? Notorious hoax.
85
Aléas Ich
di Aléa Torik
3 utenti
Member
spiphany
Spiegazioni
spiphany: The discovery that the biography of "Aléa Torik" was a fiction caused a stir in the German blogosphere and media (the name might have been a clue...)
86
Сочинения Козьмы Пруткова
di Kozma Prutkov
3 utenti
Member
spiphany
Spiegazioni
spiphany: Collective pseudonym invented by four 19th-century Russian satirical poets
87
Der Sturm
di Per Johansson
3 utenti
Member
spiphany
Spiegazioni
spiphany: A "Swedish" crime novel written by two German authors with the help of a fictional translator
89
Winter in Tirane: The Stories of Jiri Kajane (Volume 1)
di Jiri Kajane
2 utenti
Member
spiphany
Spiegazioni
spiphany: Not an "Albanian writer" at all, it turns out.
90
EXAMEN DE LA OBRA DE HERBERT QUAIN
di Jorge Luis Borges
1 utente
1
Member
spiphany
91
An den Mauern des Paradieses
di Martin Schneitewind
1 utente
Member
spiphany
Spiegazioni
spiphany: Speculations abound as to whether Schneitewind ever existed or is an invention of the manuscript's "discoverers", Köhlmeier and Schrott (the latter seems most likely).
93
Georges Zuk: Selected Verse
di Georges Zuk
1 utente
Member
spiphany
Spiegazioni
spiphany: British-Canadian author Robin Skelton writing as a French surrealist poet.
94
La chasse spirituelle d'Arthur Rimbaud les illuminations
di Daniel Verstraete
1 utente
Member
spiphany
95
I promessi sposi
di Alessandro Manzoni
3,128 utenti
51 recensioni
4
96
La letteratura nazista in America
di Roberto Bolaño
1,075 utenti
28 recensioni
3.9
97
Sputerò sulle vostre tombe
di Boris Vian
982 utenti
23 recensioni
½ 3.5
98
А Perfect Vacuum
di Stanisław Lem
645 utenti
8 recensioni
4
99
Il Consiglio d'Egitto
di Leonardo Sciascia
345 utenti
11 recensioni
3.9
100
Le avventure del colonnello Jack
di Daniel Defoe
143 utenti
2 recensioni
½ 3.3