Wiesel, Frey: Difference Between Facts, the Truth
On Monday, Oprah Winfrey announced that Elie Wiesel's novel Night will be the next selection in her book club. Commentator Peter Manseau says that Night and the memoir A Million Little Pieces by James Frey, another book club selection, have more in common than first glance might suggest.
Pieces has been shown to be a memoir that is less than entirely factual. But Night has been called a novel, even though Wiesel calls it memoir -- and there are other questions that have been raised over the years about the way that Wiesel chose to tell his story.
Peter Manseau is an editor at killingthebuddha.com and the author of the memoir Vows: The Story of a Priest, a Nun, and Their Son.
Related NPR Stories
Winfrey's Next Book Pick: Wiesel's 'Night' Jan. 17, 2006
'Pieces' of Essential Truth Jan. 16, 2006
Frey's 'Pieces' and Truth in Publishing Jan. 13, 2006
'Million Little Pieces' Author Defends Book on TV Jan. 12, 2006
Discrepancies Uncovered in Best-Selling Memoir Jan. 10, 2006
JT Leroy and Other Literary Phantoms Jan. 10, 2006
A Family of 'Vows': The Son of a Priest and a Nun Oct. 24, 2005
Comments
Discussions for this story are now closed. Please see the Community FAQ for more information.