I read Hemingway's posthumous Paris memoirs, rumoured to have been written by his wife (`Out of the question,' Toni assured me, `they're so badly written they must be authentic').
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Barnes recounts a cynical joke about Hemingway's memoirs being poorly written yet authentic.
- In plain terms
- Bad writing proves the book is real, not ghosted.
- What can you take from it?
- Flaws can signal authenticity in creative work.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Does bad writing mean honesty?
- Who really writes celebrity memoirs?
Another view
Poor writing does not guarantee truth; it may just indicate lack of skill.
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