James Frey is probably most known for his book A Million Little Pieces and the controversy that surrounded it.
I first learned about A Million Little Pieces through a then boyfriend. We both worked at a bookstore and he found A Million Little Pieces in the free unedited book bin that our store often received. I read it and fell in love with it. Later when the book was released onto the shelves I learned that Oprah Winfrey had also fallen hard. I was surprised when this work of "non-fiction" was selected for Oprah's book club as she had only chosen fiction books in the past.
Well, we all came to find out that the book wasn't entirely non-fiction. The book about this man's journey through drug addiction, love and healing had some non-truths.
Frey had appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show after she had read the book. When Oprah found out as we all did that some of the book was fabricated she again invited Frey to the show. Oprah did not hold back. She was angry and she let Frey know it. She said she felt, "duped."
Five years later Frey again appeared on the Oprah show for another interview.
Many of Oprah's viewers and even many from Oprah's own staff thought that she was too hard on him. Five years later Frey said he came back to interview with her because he felt he owed it to her to come. He admitted that he created the mess apologized for the way in which she presented herself to Frey.
Painting by Ed Ruscha, for James Frey
During the two part (two episode) interview Frey mentioned that artist Ed Ruscha had created a piece just for him. The painting has the words "Public Stoning". Frey says it is on his wall and he sees it every day.
At one point in the interview Oprah became tearful. She became emotional when discussing how she was disappointed in the way she presented herself in her previous interview with Frey. Oprah made it clear that it was the WAY in which she conducted herself that she regrets.
(source)
Photo: George Burns/Harpo Studios
As Oprah cried Frey opened his arms wide and gave Oprah a hug.
"I thought it was big of you, and I thought it was cool," he says to Oprah. "If anything, I should offer the apology to you. This mess was my mess, you know? You've done nothing but be really generous and cool with me. And whatever happened on that second show happened because I created that situation. If anything, you deserve the apology more than I deserve one." "Thank you for saying that," Oprah says. "But my apology is not for what I said; it's for the way I said it."
In the interview Oprah said another reason she had Frey after the 2006 interview was because she was worried that he might relapse. Frey said there were moments when he wanted to use but didn't.
In the end Frey tells Oprah, "I think I'm a better person. I think I'm a better writer. I think I'm happier. I think I'm more at peace," he says. "In a way, as bad as it was, it was one of the best things that happened to me. Sometimes you need to go through bad things to arrive at a good place."
Some of Frey's other works were mentioned on the May 16th, 2011 airing of interview. One book that was left out was the follow up to A Million Little Pieces. I very much enjoyed My Friend Leonard but I will say that the book definitely felt like fiction. I didn't suspect that of A Million Little Pieces but the sequel didn't feel real.
I can only assume that the reason My Friend Leonard wasn't mentioned is because it is too closely linked with the fiction vs non-fiction controversy.
After My Friend Leonard came Bright Shiny Morning released in 2008. The book is a series of vignettes that speak to searching for dreams in Los Angeles.
In the photography book American Pitbull James Frey offers an essay about his own pitbull "Bella." Marc Joseph attempts to document the American Pitbull Terrier and how it is often viewed.
James has also written other books by different pseudonyms.
James Frey's latest book is entitled The Final Testament of The Holy Bible.
Frey says in his 2011 interview with Oprah that his manager once asked him what he would write if he could write any book in the world. "I said, 'I want to write the great book of life,'" James says. "He said, 'It's already been done. It's called the Bible.' ... I thought, 'Why not do it again?'"
The Final Testament of the Holy Bible is the story of the Second Coming of Christ in today's modern world. In Frey's book Christ is bisexual, a former alcoholic who plays video games, impregnates as stripper and lives in the Bronx.
The book itself is designed to resemble a traditional Bible.
“My goal was not to retell the story of Christ. That has been done, and done well. My goal was to create a new mythology. One that is relevant in a world with nuclear weapons, advanced physics, the internet, genetic testing and manipulation, one where we know homosexuality is not a decision. My goal was to create a mythology, to tell a story, to make a work of art that made sense in a world where we know things that people, and writers, 2000 years ago could never have known or imagined. Whether I was able to do it or not will be determined by readers, and by time, and by history.”
~James Frey
I am a Christian woman and I knew that James Frey would be creative in his telling of a modern day Jesus. I enjoyed the book but there were also some parts that were difficult to read. I won't say which.
Some parts had me thinking that Jesus and his followers or desciples were quite like a cult, almost like Charles Manson and his followers. I can't help but think that the comparison is intentional. I do not take offense to this. I think it is for the reader to decide whether Jesus aka Ben Zion Avrohom was really a doer of good or if he was more of a cult leader. I think that many have asked themselves this question about Jesus Christ and other religious figures.
I respect authors who challenge spirituality and I definitely respect creativity. All in all I enjoyed Frey's telling of Christ.
For some time now Frey has worked within his own company called Full Fathom Five. It is focused on producing commercial young adult novels co-written with a team of aspiring writers. Frey has likened it to Andy Warhol's factory.
“In exchange for delivering a finished book within a set number of months, the writer would receive $250 (some contracts allowed for another $250 upon completion), along with a percentage of all revenue generated by the project, including television, film, and merchandise rights—30 percent if the idea was originally Frey’s, 40 percent if it was originally the writer’s.”
Frey continues to work as an author and a screenwriter.
To learn more about James Frey and his works visit his website at Big Jim Industries.
No comments:
Post a Comment