Generation ABXY
02-19-2010, 03:57 PM
Failing to venture too far out of my genre, I’ve never heard of Axolotl Roadkill (a story set in Berlin’s hedonistic underground), but this newly-published novel is apparently relatively popular, being already in its third edition and nominated for a literary award. However, according to this Independent story (http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/publish-and-be-damned-young-writers-ego-dramatically-punctured-1904037.html), it seems 17-year-old author Helene Hegemann copied several parts of the book from various sources, including one particularly agitated blogger. Unfortunately, that may be the least saddening thing here...
In an artful attempt to steal their critics' thunder Ms Hegemann and her publishers have gone on the offensive. They have managed, in part, to turn what at face value appeared to be a clearcut case of stealing somebody else's words into a wide-ranging debate about the meaning of plagiarism in the online era. They argue that Axolotl Roadkill is merely an example of modern " intertextual mixing".
Interviewed last week about the charges, Ms Hegemann's defence was simply "I cannot understand what all the fuss is about." While she acknowledges that she used numerous "sources" for her book, she also claims that she is a member of a different generation of writers which is used to adapting and using the abundance of information available online for its own creative purposes.
We’ve seen this sort of thing a number of times in recent years – especially in the young adult genre – but I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone so blatantly unapologetic about it. I think her tone may irk me more than the actual plagiarism. Of course, it doesn’t help that her publisher’s practically in league with her (no doubt due to the book’s success), providing that oh-so-gentle euphemism and the now the token gesture of providing sources.
I can't help but fear how little the cut-and-paste generation may have to offer...
In an artful attempt to steal their critics' thunder Ms Hegemann and her publishers have gone on the offensive. They have managed, in part, to turn what at face value appeared to be a clearcut case of stealing somebody else's words into a wide-ranging debate about the meaning of plagiarism in the online era. They argue that Axolotl Roadkill is merely an example of modern " intertextual mixing".
Interviewed last week about the charges, Ms Hegemann's defence was simply "I cannot understand what all the fuss is about." While she acknowledges that she used numerous "sources" for her book, she also claims that she is a member of a different generation of writers which is used to adapting and using the abundance of information available online for its own creative purposes.
We’ve seen this sort of thing a number of times in recent years – especially in the young adult genre – but I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone so blatantly unapologetic about it. I think her tone may irk me more than the actual plagiarism. Of course, it doesn’t help that her publisher’s practically in league with her (no doubt due to the book’s success), providing that oh-so-gentle euphemism and the now the token gesture of providing sources.
I can't help but fear how little the cut-and-paste generation may have to offer...