tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3138728502354978457.post7761779475706723445..comments2013-04-28T14:44:48.079+02:00Comments on JEREMY DUNS: Assassin of SecretsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3138728502354978457.post-60637257093785849522012-02-08T00:07:23.061+01:002012-02-08T00:07:23.061+01:00Thank you for this post and for sharing your exper...Thank you for this post and for sharing your experiences. I too am baffled about why a person would do this, but I doubt I'll be picking up his memoir to find out.Dina Santorellihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13572200158628978588noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3138728502354978457.post-56896861364918171852011-11-14T16:30:54.291+01:002011-11-14T16:30:54.291+01:00Whoops! Sorry I missed Nick's mention of my sa...Whoops! Sorry I missed Nick's mention of my same point.<br /><br />What a bizarre episode this whole thing is. I'm just finding out about it and it makes for fascinating reading all by itself.That Neil Guyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00282313787969964446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3138728502354978457.post-69622090344765542392011-11-14T16:22:11.613+01:002011-11-14T16:22:11.613+01:00It was, as mentioned by Nick above. Rowan told me ...It was, as mentioned by Nick above. Rowan told me that he picked the name as a tip of the hat to Colonel Sun. I said 'great!' This didn't ring any alarm bells with me: Assassin of Secrets was a spy thriller set in the Sixties, and I was very aware it was Bond-*ish* - I just didn't realize a lot of it was straight from Bond! But it's set in 1968, and about an American secret agent called Jonathan Chase battling a villainous organization called Zero Directorate. So the nod to a late 60s (and somewhat overlooked) Bond novel seemed appropriate. I wasn't a fan of the title, which seemed very generic, but that may have been his publisher who suggested that.Jeremy Dunshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14442728222534667107noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3138728502354978457.post-32246668173844628982011-11-14T16:15:47.234+01:002011-11-14T16:15:47.234+01:00I think it's interesting that the pseudonym he...I think it's interesting that the pseudonym he chose was Markham. If memory serves, Robert Markham was the name Kingsley Amis used to publish the first non-Fleming Bond, Colonel Sun.That Neil Guyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00282313787969964446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3138728502354978457.post-82746415193849343152011-11-12T01:08:25.262+01:002011-11-12T01:08:25.262+01:00He possibly only did this to get his name out ther...He possibly only did this to get his name out there, while simultaneously working on his <i>real</i> book, a much subtler but richer work about a suicidal writer who successful launches his career by pranking the literary world. After the smoke clears (1 year, maybe 2?), he will publish this book under his own name, to much acclaim. It's a good plan.Howard McNear As Floyd Lawsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10372098299928317805noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3138728502354978457.post-41085168045181051152011-11-10T23:42:23.278+01:002011-11-10T23:42:23.278+01:00Please don't be embarrassed - this collection ...Please don't be embarrassed - this collection of unattributed quotes made it past many presumed gatekeepers before it ever got to you. <br /><br />I just hope that the public remembers that blame rests squarely on the head of the sociopath who perpetrated this hoax. And I agree with Jordan Stoen - it's a damned shame that a slot in the publisher's rotation was used up like this. <br /><br />On to more pleasant thoughts: Puppies! Raindrops on roses! Exotic assassination techniques!inkgrrlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16735828732037626116noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3138728502354978457.post-91079586775587602842011-11-10T18:23:05.862+01:002011-11-10T18:23:05.862+01:00Thanks for the kind words, everyone. Apart from Th...Thanks for the kind words, everyone. Apart from The Other McSey, perhaps, who I would invite to read this:<br /><br />http://jeremyduns.blogspot.com/2011/11/highway-robbery-mask-of-knowing-in.htmlJeremy Dunshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14442728222534667107noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3138728502354978457.post-54311930310389973672011-11-10T11:09:44.355+01:002011-11-10T11:09:44.355+01:00Don't beat yourself up too much. It could have...Don't beat yourself up too much. It could have happened to any of us and you are not to blame. You were just trying to help a fellow spy writer and he abused your generosity.<br />I'm just upset he didn't lift anything from Dead Spy Running! (Or perhaps he has - I haven't checked...) <br />Best, JonJon Stockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05818942541779243428noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3138728502354978457.post-85600138958079561942011-11-10T09:05:58.159+01:002011-11-10T09:05:58.159+01:00What a very peculiar story.
I've had just tha...What a very peculiar story.<br /><br />I've had just that experience - of thinking "interesting argument, well put - this person can really write!" only to discover that the whole thing's plagiarised. But I'm an academic, and we expect it (sadly).<br /><br />This story is almost a contradiction in terms: you'd have to be pretty bright (as well as dedicated) to make it work in the first place, but you'd have to be pretty stupid to think nobody would spot it (I particularly like the detail that he used plagiarism <b>in the Q&A</b>). Weird.<br /><br />I wouldn't feel too bad about falling for it yourself, though - authors aren't fans.Philhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07009879034507926661noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3138728502354978457.post-39766858673848843402011-11-10T03:25:31.827+01:002011-11-10T03:25:31.827+01:00I agree, no blame attaches to you, or to anyone el...I agree, no blame attaches to you, or to anyone else who was taken in by this fraud. What upsets me is that time and money were spent editing and publishing a book that can't be sold. These resources could have gone to a more deserving, original writer instead of wasted on someone who hasn't earned them.Jordan Stoenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13763500096162526015noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3138728502354978457.post-86340087550651110992011-11-09T22:07:49.261+01:002011-11-09T22:07:49.261+01:00Mr. Duns, as has been said, your acknowledgement o...Mr. Duns, as has been said, your acknowledgement of your own unwitting part in this debacle puts you head and shoulders over anyone else (read: everyone else) in this internet-burnin' debate. This is a true bummer all around, I'd say, but you are certainly not culpable in any of it.Jimmy Callawayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13725548493403210066noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3138728502354978457.post-38986586677579779292011-11-09T20:00:20.299+01:002011-11-09T20:00:20.299+01:00Thanks for giving us the inside story, Jeffery. Bu...Thanks for giving us the inside story, Jeffery. But there's no way you would have been expected to catch this. Big reviewers didn't flag it. They starred it.Julie Kramerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06482168038878343740noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3138728502354978457.post-83849406830768749442011-11-09T18:29:02.952+01:002011-11-09T18:29:02.952+01:00My sympathies, Jeremy. I congratulate you for your...My sympathies, Jeremy. I congratulate you for your diplomatic handling of a very sticky situation.Carla Buckleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15362363128968200860noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3138728502354978457.post-61291166719899845132011-11-09T17:49:37.265+01:002011-11-09T17:49:37.265+01:00Quite right, Bill – I'll be equally familiar, ...Quite right, Bill – I'll be equally familiar, if you don't mind! On reflection, one couldn't even make an analogy with sampling. Even there, a person may not recognise where a sample's come from, but you almost always know it IS a sample. The Beastie Boys' 'Paul's Boutique' is a masterpiece, using a gajillion samples across its length, but in each case, it's obvious that a sample is a sample.<br /><br />Plus, these days, samples are cleared and the original artists get to see some cash. Somehow, I doubt Rowan cleared his "samples" with the Fleming estate...Nick Jones (Louis XIV, the Sun King)https://www.blogger.com/profile/17716508525331235684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3138728502354978457.post-63352639447591553422011-11-09T17:25:50.290+01:002011-11-09T17:25:50.290+01:00Absolutely, Nick (if I may be so familiar; this is...Absolutely, Nick (if I may be so familiar; this is the internet after all). You go into a mashup knowing its a Frankenstein song. That's part of the fun.<br /><br />In fact, if Markham had published the novel as a mash-up, it would have been a fascinating experiment and commentary on the genre. Could he stitch together disparate parts and make it a coherent, interesting story?<br /><br />Instead, he tried to pass off others' work as his own, and got caught. Which tells me a) he must have spent a huge amount of time and effort to play with the cut and paste, and b) he was really, really stupid to expect people not to know.<br /><br />(And, if my vote matters, coming clean should be cause for what little forgiveness needs to be extended. At least you had the good taste to recognize good prose, even if heavily mixed, like discerning that filet was used in beef stew.)Bill Peschelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15257587479467531187noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3138728502354978457.post-30595919716471448272011-11-09T16:39:01.298+01:002011-11-09T16:39:01.298+01:00I don't think that analogy really holds water,...I don't think that analogy really holds water, McSey. The point of a mashup is the illicit thrill of recognition of two usually well-known tracks, put together in a striking and sometimes creative manner. What Markham – or rather Rowan; he doesn't deserve the same pseudonymous surname as Kingsley Amis – has done is deliberately pass off other writers' work as his own – a LOT of other writers.<br /><br />I guess you could see it as a bizarre situationist prank – it's the kind of thing that would be amusing if posted online and then admitted to – but to hoodwink Jeremy – and the novel's publisher, and its readers – in the way he did just leaves a bad taste in the mouth.Nick Jones (Louis XIV, the Sun King)https://www.blogger.com/profile/17716508525331235684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3138728502354978457.post-6990837642354644642011-11-09T15:42:55.460+01:002011-11-09T15:42:55.460+01:00what a lot of work it must have been to write a bo...what a lot of work it must have been to write a book that way--taking lines from various novels. not only is it stupid, immoral and wrong, but sounds far more arduous than just writing the damn thing himself.lauriehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18055442432266567561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3138728502354978457.post-21635375581282811242011-11-09T15:25:16.722+01:002011-11-09T15:25:16.722+01:00Let's try this in music terms. He made a mashu...Let's try this in music terms. He made a mashup and you thought it was an "Instant Classic". He didn't tell you it was a mashup but that doesn't matter because you didn't recognize the samples to begin with when you heard and enjoyed it. Now that someone has pointed out the samples and you know it's a mashup, you don't want it to be heard.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3138728502354978457.post-59838979817792007212011-11-09T12:26:59.850+01:002011-11-09T12:26:59.850+01:00Thank you for writing this explanation. Like other...Thank you for writing this explanation. Like other commentors, and like you, I would have enjoyed reading something which 'ticked the boxes' in terms of content and style, and it would not occur to me to wonder why (poor memory for specific lines, in my case)they were doing so - nor to assume it was such a con. <br /><br />I also avoid reading things in case they rub off & become part of my 'voice' without my realising it.<br /><br />I'm intrigued to know who this 'author' was, and whether he's written other work; but perhaps that is the kind of thing best 'imagined' in another novel about plagiarism or stolen manuscripts (of which there are plenty).Wrath Of God Herselfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14588171322177431771noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3138728502354978457.post-63711801765408304402011-11-09T12:12:34.742+01:002011-11-09T12:12:34.742+01:00I don't think you should feel uncomfortable at...I don't think you should feel uncomfortable at all. You took him at face value.<br /><br />My mind boggles at the amount of time this must have taken him..Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3138728502354978457.post-35249413975715096802011-11-09T10:39:58.705+01:002011-11-09T10:39:58.705+01:00That is utterly extraordinary. You must feel awful...That is utterly extraordinary. You must feel awful, but really, as others have said, you're in no way to blame, Jeremy. It's such an outlandish hoax (for want of a better word) that it would be unthinkable anyone would even attempt it, and that you'd therefore be on guard against it. Bizarre.Nick Jones (Louis XIV, the Sun King)https://www.blogger.com/profile/17716508525331235684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3138728502354978457.post-76495589241958402332011-11-09T09:51:32.819+01:002011-11-09T09:51:32.819+01:00As painful as this experience no doubt was, it'...As painful as this experience no doubt was, it's also fascinating - and makes for a fascinating post now. Thank you for sharing it. I don't think I would have spotted passages from John Gardner books either, not having read them since the early 90s. It easily could have happened to anyone, but it has to be irritating nonetheless. I have to say, though, as a curious party, I kind of wish you HAD emailed him and demanded an explanation! I would really like to hear his excuse.Tannerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03910873055922510145noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3138728502354978457.post-48971525806282091502011-11-09T06:45:09.684+01:002011-11-09T06:45:09.684+01:00Almost certainly a psych experiment. It could be ...Almost certainly a psych experiment. It could be a very elaborate practical joke, but by Occam's Razor I'd go for psych experiment.Meghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10079312738268360497noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3138728502354978457.post-86849640874814217392011-11-09T06:45:01.861+01:002011-11-09T06:45:01.861+01:00Ah, where is a dungeon when you need one? Now I un...Ah, where is a dungeon when you need one? Now I understand why God made hell.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3138728502354978457.post-6262040933340027942011-11-09T06:08:09.095+01:002011-11-09T06:08:09.095+01:00Your transparency is to be commended and surpasses...Your transparency is to be commended and surpasses your original generosity.Georganna Hancock M.S.https://www.blogger.com/profile/13989653997711727130noreply@blogger.com