James Frey

Infobox Writer
name = James Frey


caption = James Frey
birthdate = birth date and age|1969|9|12|mf=y
birthplace = Cleveland, Ohio
occupation = Screenwriter, Director, Producer, Writer
website = http://www.bigjimindustries.com

James Christopher Frey (born September 12, 1969 in Cleveland, Ohio) is an American writer. He is the author of the current bestseller, "Bright Shiny Morning". He graduated from Denison University and also attended The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. His first memoir, "A Million Little Pieces", was published by Nan Talese/Doubleday in spring 2003. Its follow-up, "My Friend Leonard" (also a memoir) was published by Riverhead in summer 2005. Both books became New York Times #1 bestsellers. In late 2005 and early 2006, investigators discovered that elements of his memoir, "A Million Little Pieces", were untrue. Frey, along with his family, currently resides in New York City.

Career

Before Frey began his writing career, he held several jobs in the Chicago area while studying at the Art Institute of Chicago. Frey then moved to Los Angeles, California and found work as a screenwriter, director, and producer. In the spring of 1996, Frey started writing "A Million Little Pieces", a memoir of Frey's experiences during his treatment for alcohol and drug addiction at a rehabilitation center in Minnesota.

Frey wrote the screenplays to the films "Kissing a Fool", and "Sugar: The Fall of the West". [ [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0168197/ "Sugar: The Fall of the West" at the] Internet Movie Database] Both were produced in 1998, the latter of which he also directed.

Doubleday published "A Million Little Pieces" in April, 2003. Amazon.com editors selected "A Million Little Pieces" as their favorite book of 2003. "The New Yorker" praised the book as “A frenzied, electrifying description of the experience.” [ [http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbninquiry.asp?z=y&pwb=1&ean=9780307276902 Barnes & Noble.com - Books: A Million Little Pieces, by James Frey, Paperback ] "A Million Little Pieces" became a bestseller, ultimately residing on the New York Times Best Seller List for 44 weeks, selling in excess of 4.5 million copies. In September, 2005, Oprah Winfrey chose A Million Little Pieces for her monthly bookclub.]

In 2004, Frey wrote "My Friend Leonard", which continues where "A Million Little Pieces" left off, and centers on the father-son relationship Frey and his friend, Leonard, from Hazelden shared. "My Friend Leonard" was published in June 2005 by Riverhead, and became a bestseller. Amazon.com editors selected "My Friend Leonard" as their # 5 favorite book of 2005.

In 2007, Frey wrote "Bright Shiny Morning", a critically acclaimed novel of Los Angeles. "Bright Shiny Morning" was published in May 2008 by HarperCollins, and also became a bestseller.

Frey has been published in thirty-one languages worldwide.

A Million Little Pieces

The "Minneapolis Star Tribune" had questioned Frey's claims as early as 2003. Frey responded by saying, "I've never denied I've altered small details." On January 8, 2006, "The Smoking Gun" website published an article alleging that Frey fabricated large parts of his memoirs, including details about his criminal record. [ [http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/0104061jamesfrey1.html A Million Little Lies - January 8, 2006 ] ] Both the book's hardcover and paperback publishers, Doubleday and Anchor Books, respectively, initially stood by Frey.

On January 11, 2006 Frey appeared with his mother on "Larry King Live" on CNN. He defended his work while claiming that all memoirs alter minor details for literary effect. Frey consistently referred to the reality of his addiction, which he said was the principal point of his work. Oprah Winfrey called in at the end of the show defending the essence of Frey's book and the inspiration it provided to her viewers, but said she relied on the publisher to assess the book's authenticity. Winfrey removed the references to Frey's work on the main page of her website, but left references in the Oprah's Book Club section earlier in the week. [ [http://www2.oprah.com/tows/pastshows/200510/tows_past_20051026.jhtml "The Man Who Kept Oprah Awake at Night"; oprah.com] ]

The controversy received widespread coverage in the media, class action lawsuits were filed; and on January 26, 2006 Winfrey invited Frey on her show with Publisher Nan Talese to recant her previous support of him. Frey acknowledged to Winfrey that he had altered some events in the book. [ [http://www2.oprah.com/tows/slide/200601/20060126/slide_20060126_350_102.jhtml "Oprah's Questions for James"; oprah.com] ]

As a consequence, on January 27, 2006, Random House issued a [http://www.randomhouse.com/trade/publicity/pdfs/AMLP012706.pdf statement] regarding the controversy. It noted that future editions of the book would contain notes from both the publisher and Frey on the text, as well as prominent notations on the cover and on their website about the additions. It also noted that future printings of the book would be delayed until these changes were made, and these additions were also being sent out promptly to booksellers for inclusion in previously shipped copies of the book.

On January 31, 2006, it was announced that Frey was dropped by his literary manager, Kassie Evashevski of Brillstein-Grey Entertainment. In an interview with Publishers Weekly, Evashevski said that she had "never personally seen a media frenzy like this regarding a book before." Though she will no longer be representing him, when asked to reflect on Frey's future as a writer, she said, "I still believe he's a very talented writer and suspect we haven't heard the last of James Frey." [ [http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6303378.html?text=evashevski "Frey's Agent Goes on the Record with 'PW'"; publishersweekly.com; January 1, 2006.] ]

On February 1, 2006, Random House published Frey's note to the reader which was subsequently included in later editions of the book. In the note, Frey apologized for fabricating portions of his book and admitted that he had literary reasons for his fabrications, as well. He also said memoirists had a right to draw upon their memories, in addition to documents, in creating their written works. [ [http://web.archive.org/web/20060209041638/http://www.randomhouse.com/trade/publicity/pdfs/AMLP020106.pdf Frey's note to the reader] ] [ [http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/02/01/D8FGGIOO0.html James Frey Admits Memoir's Alterations ] ]

On February 24, 2006, Frey's publicist revealed that Penguin imprint Riverhead had dropped out of a two book, seven figure deal with Frey. Riverhead had previously published Frey's bestselling 2005 book, My Friend Leonard.

On September 12, 2006, Frey and publisher Random House, Inc. reached a tentative legal settlement, where readers who felt that they had been defrauded by Frey's "A Million Little Pieces" would be offered a refund. In order to receive the refund, customers must submit a proof of purchase, pieces of the book itself (page 163 from the hard cover or the front cover from the paperback), and complete a sworn statement indicating that they purchased the book under the assumption that it was a memoir. [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14715706/ Frey, Publisher Settle Suits Over 'Pieces'] (2006-09-12). Retrieved on 2006-09-14.]

On July 28, 2007, at a literary convention in Texas, Nan Talese blasted Oprah Winfrey for being "mean and self-serving", having a "holier-than-thou" attitude as well as having "fiercely bad manners" during Oprah's criticism of Frey on January 26, 2006. Talese said she and Frey were led to believe the show was going to be a panel discussion on "Truth in America". Just before air time, both Talese and Frey were told the topic of the show had been changed to "The James Frey Controversy". Talese stated that Oprah needed to apologize for her behavior on the show. Talese was unapologetic about publishing Frey's "A Million Little Pieces" and commented that the book had great value for anyone who must deal with a loved one who is an addict. [ [http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1648140,00.html?cnn=yes Oprah vs. James Frey: The Sequel. Retrieved on 07-30-2007.] ]

On November 2, 2007, the Associated Press published a story about a recent judgment in favor of readers who felt deceived by Frey's claims of "A Million Little Pieces" being a memoir. Although the publisher, Random House, had set aside $2.35 million for lawsuits, only 1,729 readers came forward to receive a refund for the book. The refund offer was extended to anyone who had purchased the book prior to Frey disclosing the falsehoods therein. The amount paid to claimants totaled $27,348. Approximately $1.3 million will be spent in legal fees, distribution of the legal notice, and charitable donations to three charities. The publisher also agreed to provide a disclosure at the beginning of the book, citing the somewhat fictitious nature of the text. At the time this article was published, the defendant's lawyers had no comments regarding this lawsuit. [ [http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,307837,00.html Judge Approves 'A Million Little Pieces' Refund Settlement for Disgruntled Readers, retrieved on 3 Nov 2007] ]

Current Work

In late 2007, Frey signed a new three book, seven figure deal with Harper Collins to release his novel, "Bright Shiny Morning", which was published May 13, 2008. [ [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20750314/ "‘Million Little Pieces’ author writing a novel"; msnbc.com, Associated Press; September 12, 2007.] ] [ [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/13/business/media/13book.html?ref=arts Rich, Motoko; "Book Deal for Writer Who Fabricated Parts of Memoir "; nytimes.com; September 13, 2007.] ] "Bright Shiny Morning", appeared on the "New York Times bestseller list", and has received wide critical acclaim, including a rave review from "The New York Times"'s Janet Maslin, who had previously been one of Frey's greatest detractors. [ [http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/12/books/12masl.html Maslin, Janet; "Little Pieces of Los Angeles, Done His Way "; nytimes.com; May 12, 2008.] ] Michelle Green of "People" magazine gave the novel a positive review, calling Frey a "wildly talented storyteller", commenting that the novel is "so powerful it makes one wonder why he ever detoured into nonfiction." ["People"; May 26, 2008; Page 60.] On August 2, 2008, the Guardian UK says "Irvine Welsh is entranced by James Frey's tale of redemption - 'the literary comeback of the decade'. James Frey is probably one of the finest and most important writers to have emerged in recent years." [ [http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2008/aug/02/fiction1 "Saved by the City of Angels, Guardian UK Review, August 2008"] ]

References and footnotes

External links

* [http://bigjimindustries.com/wordpress/index.php/2008/05/vanity-fair-interview-with-james-frey/ Vanity Fair (May 2008) Feature Article On James Frey]
* [http://www.untitledbooks.com/pages/how-i-write/index.asp?How_i_writeID=35 James Frey - How I Write] "Untitled Books", September 2008
* [http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/12/books/12masl.html New York Times Review of Bright Shiny Morning]
* [http://www.bigjimindustries.com James Frey's Website and Blog]
*
* [http://www2.oprah.com/obc_classic/featbook/mlp/author/author_bio_02.jhtml Oprah Winfrey link]
* [http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0601/11/lkl.01.html Transcript of January 11, 2006 interview with Larry King regarding the controversy over "A Million Little Pieces"]
* [http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1648140,00.html?cnn=yes Oprah vs. James Frey: The Sequel. Retrieved on 07-30-2007.]