Well, I don't know how I feel about this but the New York Times reports that Esquire Magazine has published the diaries of Heath Ledger, recording his last days. What I don't feel at all comfortable about is that it isn't his diary at all. Esquire is labeling the story a "work of reported fiction." You can find the story, written by Lisa Taddeo, here. Particularly in light of all the fake memoirs being published these days, perhaps this isn't the best timing for a story that bridges non-fiction with fiction. Even more troubling is the fact that Esquire has chosen to cash in, if you will, on the sudden death of one of Hollywood's finest young actors, with not a piece of solid fact-based reportage (which wouldn't bother me as much) but a piece of writing in that gray area of fact and fiction. There's already a huge gray area in regards to his death and how and why he died, there's no need to compound it with confusing writing.
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Sometimes I just don't understand what's happening in the publishing world. I get that they're a business and like all businesses, everything comes down to the bottom line, but stuff like this that is so obviously done to be provocative and sell magazines (and books-- I'm talking to you Judith Regan) just annoys the crap out of me. First of all, it's just way too soon to fictionalize the last days of somebody who died so recently (fictionalizing the last days of Abe Lincoln, or FDR? Sure, I can see that, and would be interested in a work of that type of historical fiction). Secondly, after both James Frey and now Margaret Seltzer (aka Margaret B. Jones) being exposed as frauds, you would think that taking liberties with (or just making up) things that might have happened to somebody makes an editor think it might... just might... cross the line. But it appears that anything that can get your magazine to move more issues is what matters more than the integrity of Journalism as an institution.
Geez, I think I have too much time to think whist sitting around without a job. I gotta cut that out.
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