Literary News: Lawsuits, Insults, and More

Literary News Today....

*A second lawsuit was filed last week against Greg Mortenson amid the controversy surrounding allegations that his bestselling memoirs Three Cups of Tea and Stones into Schools are both full of false claims and inaccuracies. This lawsuit also names Mortenson's co-author, David Oliver Relin, and his publisher, Penguin. Mortenson has been under fire since a 60 Minutes episode made its allegations in April and was quickly followed by a lengthy expose article by respected journalist Jon Krakauer. A full article on the newest lawsuit can be found here.

*They say the pen is mightier than the sword. Check out Flavorwire's 30 Harshest Author-on-Author Insults in History. They've got everyone from Mark Twain to Virginia Woolf to William Faulkner to Vladmir Nabokov all weighing in on their contemporaries and predecessors.

*Head over to our Book into Movie News Page for the latest on casting for Peter Jackson's film The Hobbit.

*The Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction has been awarded to Andrea Levy for her novel The Long Song. Levy's novel is set on a sugar plantation in Jamaica in the 1830s. The Washington Post has called Levy "one of the best historical novelists of her generation." The book was a finalist for the 2010 Man Booker Prize as well as a New York Times Book Review Notable Book of the Year.

"Three Cups of Tea" still under fire

Controversy is still surrounding Greg Mortenson and the accuracy of his books, Three Cups of Tea and Stones into Schools. Yesterday, a former climbing partner claimed to have "misspoken" to Jon Krakauer about Mortenson's climbing experiences. Regardless of the partner's words, Krakauer had numerous sources, including an article penned by Mortenson himself.
Today, I came across an editorial published in New York Times on April 20. The editorial, written by Nicholas Kristof, reserves judgement of Mortenson. I found it to be fair and reasonable. Anyone following the Tea-scandal can read the editorial here.

Three Cups of Deceit

The book world (and news in general) is on fire this week amid allegations that Greg Mortenson's bestselling memoir Three Cups of Tea and its sequel Stones into Schools may not be truthful after all.

Jon Krakauer, a respected journalist and bestselling author, this week published an 89-page expose entitled Three Cups of Deceit: How Greg Mortenson, Humanitarian Hero, Lost His Way. The article comes immediately following a 60 Minutes episode which also suggests that much of the books may have been fabricated.