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A pack of lies: author admits

03.03.08

Misha Defonseca has admitted that her bestselling Holocaust autobiography, Misha: A Memoir of the Holocaust Years, is a work of fiction, reports the Independent.

The book caused a literary sensation on release in 1997, says the newspaper. But more than 10 years later – and just a few weeks after a film adaptation, Survivre Avec Les Loups (Surviving with Wolves), premiered in France – it has been revealed that not only did she invent the story but that she is the Roman-Catholic daughter of an alleged wartime collaborator. The Belgian author admitted to the national newspaper Le Soir that she had fabricated the tale, after being presented with what the paper described as "irrefutable" evidence that her story was false. Le Soir also said her birth date was several years later then claimed in the novel.

"The book is a story, it's my story," said the writer, in a statement issued under her real name, Monique De Wael. "It's not the true reality, but it is my reality. There are times when I find it difficult to differentiate between reality and my inner world."




Independent

Authors Misha Defonseca

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By Richard

Cor! The things people say to justify their lies. "The book is a story, it's my story," No it's not. it's jackanory. "...There are times when I find it difficult to differentiate between reality and my inner world." SO that's okay then? Raking in £10m+ from people who trusted and believed your words? She obviously knew it was VERY wrong or else she'd have billed the book as fiction from the off. But then she and her advisers knew that to pray on people's sympathies and caring nature was much more lucrative. How sad the people feel today and how rich and clever the author and her parasitic hangers-on feel. And still they won't take any form of blame or responsibility. cashing in on the holocaust - a new low has been attained. Her words are spoken like the true pathological liar that she is -- She should have been a politician.

03 Mar 08 10:40

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By Tom

Yet another lying autobiography, it's a shame there really is no punishment that will dissuade people from doing this. How many people actually bothered to jump through the hoops required to get a refund on James Frey's book? I'm sure not enough to negate his extra publicity, it's not as if the book stopped selling...

03 Mar 08 15:13

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