In June, I linked to the story of Jonah Lehrer’s downfall - admitting to using fabricated Bob Dylan quotes in his latest book. The revelation led to his resignation from The New Yorker and the muddying of his reputation.
Lehrer referenced “lies” and “mistakes” in his resignation. That he used the plural form should have been telling. Kevin Breen of The Skeptical Libertarian uncovered evidence of additional misdeeds:
Tuesday night, I showed a printed excerpt from Jonah Lehrer’s bestselling book, Imagine: How Creativity Works, to Teller, the quieter half of the magic duo Penn and Teller. Teller read what was allegedly a statement he made about a previous point in his career: “I was definitely on the verge of giving up the dream of becoming a magician,” Lehrer quoted Teller. “I was ready to go back home and become a high-school Latin teacher.”
I began to ask Teller if he had really said that, but before I could finish, he interrupted with a quick and decisive, “No.”
It was too bad. I really liked that book.
As you’ll see in Breen’s article, once you begin contradicting your own writing, the end is nigh. I’m not sure how Lehrer will ever regain the trust that is required of an author.