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The Poet and the Murderer

Author Simon Worrall talked about his book The Poet and the Murderer: The True Story of Literary Crime and the Art of Forgery, published by … read more

Author Simon Worrall talked about his book The Poet and the Murderer: The True Story of Literary Crime and the Art of Forgery, published by E.P. Dutton. In it, he told the story of Mark Hoffman, a literary forger and murderer in the late 20th century. As a young Mormon boy, Mr. Hoffman saw hypocrisy in his religion and devised ways to undermine the church. He forged rare Mormon coins and eventually began forging documents that caused disorder throughout the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. His most famous deception, however, was his Emily Dickinson poem, which stunned the literary world and earned him thousands of dollars from the most distinguished of Dickinson scholars. In an attempt to keep his forgery a secret, he committed many acts of violence, including murder. close

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The Poet and the Murderer

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Program ID:
170755-1
Category:
Booknotes
Format:
Booknotes
Location:
Washington, District of Columbia, United States
First Aired:
Aug 18, 2002 | 7:59pm EDT | C-SPAN 1
Last Aired:
Aug 19, 2002 | 6:00am EDT | C-SPAN 1

Airing Details

  • Aug 18, 2002 | 7:59pm EDT | C-SPAN 1
  • Aug 18, 2002 | 10:59pm EDT | C-SPAN 1
  • Aug 19, 2002 | 6:00am EDT | C-SPAN 1
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The Poet and the Murderer

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