06 September 2007

A helpful hint for writers!


Are you a published author? Are you thinking about killing somebody? Maybe you shouldn't write about your plan and publish it after the fact, as one Polish author did. When he suspected his estranged wife and a friend were having an affair, Krystian Bala killed the man and threw his body in a river; three years later, his novel Amok described a similar murder, except the victim was a woman. A tip on the similarities between the unsolved case and the book led police to discover more evidence (including a phone card Bala used to call his victim and his girlfriend the day of the victim's disappearance), and now, to a sentence of 25 years in prison.

Amok is described in the news story as "a work of pulp fiction set in Paris and Mexico, narrated by a young translator who moves from one sexual conquest to another, killing one of his lovers." Check out its creepy cover, at right.

This all reminds me that I've never seen the classic Hitchcock film "Rope," which I hear is really good.

2 comments:

Elizabeth said...

"Rope" is (loosely) based on the true story of University of Chicago students Loeb and Lowell. In my own defense, I would like to point out that they are products of the Law School, not the College. (Another product of our Law School: John Ashcroft.)

In a not dissimilar story that did take place in the College, however, my humanities professor said that two students of his were caught shoplifting from the bookstore, and then tried to defend themselves by saying that he (the professor) taught them that property is theft.

Kimbooktu said...

Hi!
I could not find your e-mail address, so I would like to inform you that I have tagged you for a fun meme. http://kimbooktu.wordpress.com/2007/09/09/book-cover-meme/

Kim