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Can You Ever Forgive Me?: Memoirs of a Literary Forger | 
 enlarge | Author: Lee Israel
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Category: Book
List Price: $19.95
Buy New: $5.95
You Save: $14.00 (70%)
New (39) from $5.95
Avg. Customer Rating:  11 reviews
Sales Rank: 94379
Media: Hardcover
Edition: Reprint
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 144
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 8.3 x 5.8 x 0.7
ISBN: 1416588671
Dewey Decimal Number: 098.3
EAN: 9781416588672
ASIN: 1416588671
Publication Date: August 5, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: New in dj.
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Amazon.com Review
Amazon Best of the Month, August 2008: If David Carr's voluminous, well-documented Night of the Gun is the Warren Report of apologetic memoirs, Lee Israel's Can You Ever Forgive Me? is its cheeky, slim opposite. Barely repentant and witheringly funny, Israel recalls her short life of literary crime as, first, the forger of signed letters by such personages as Dorothy Parker, Noel Coward, and Louise Brooks, and then, more desperately, an out-and-out thief of such documents, all for resale to dealers and collectors. She has nearly as much fun telling her story as she did as a forger, and she proudly includes many examples of her handiwork (two of her Coward fakes passed muster enough to be included in the authoritative Letters of Noel Coward). Reading her memoir, it's no surprise she could take on the roles of these legendary wits; she's a master of the cutting, brilliant observation that made her subjects famous (her portrait of her hapless criminal partner is vicious and priceless). No doubt they would have found her an excellent correspondent. --Tom Nissley
Product Description
Before turning to the criminal life, running a onewoman forgery scam out of an Upper West Side studio shared with her tortoiseshell cat, and dodging the FBI, Lee Israel enjoyed a celebrated reputation as an author. When her writing career suddenly took a turn for the worse, she conceived of the astonishing literary scheme that fooled even many of the experts. Forging hundreds of letters from such collectible luminaries as Dorothy Parker, Noel Coward, and Lillian Hellman -- and recreating their autographs with a flourish -- Israel sold her "memorabilia" to dealers across the country, producing a collection of pitch-perfect imitations virtually indistinguishable from the voices of their real-life counterparts. Exquisitely written, with reproductions of her marvelous forgeries, Can You Ever Forgive Me? is Israel's delightful, hilarious memoir of a brilliant and audacious literary crime caper.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 6 more reviews...
 A minor crook with a major talent October 5, 2008
True, she did wrong. But what an imagination! I'm glad she was enough of an alchemist to turn desperate, often drunken dross, into literary gold. Now there's a lot less incentive for her to get into trouble again too. Her book was funny and sly. I had a great time reading it.
Can You Ever Forgive Me? September 14, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Whether writing in her own voice or in those of her alter egos--like Noel Coward, Louise Brooks, and Humphrey Bogart--Lee Israel, the screwball literary forger of Manhattan's Upper West Side, is deft, funny and emminently entertaining. She also has a great story to tell. Can You Ever Forgive Me offers a gentle parable about the modern culture of fame--about those who worship it, those who strive for it, and those who trade in its relics.
I enjoyed this book immensely.
--Jonathan Lopez, author of The Man Who Made Vermeers
Not the Most Kindle-Able Book September 13, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I am a great fan of the Kindle, but I don't recommend experiencing this very entertaining book this way. It's important to see the forged letters in their original formats.
Controversially Clever September 4, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
When I looked over the first seven ratings given to this book, I was amazed to find only fives and ones. It would certainly appear that people either loved it or hated it. I can understand those who were personally affected by the offending behavior of the author would be outraged at a warm reception of the book. Certainly those who attack the book do so mostly because they feel that the book celebrates the author and her crimes. While stealing should never be condoned, the book presents much more than a moral argument.
I loved the book because of its value as a memoir. It depicts the life of a woman who came to success easily and lost it just as easily. The book is not an apology, as the title suggests. It simply presents us an unaltered, unapologetic glimpse of one writer's real life, "warts and all." And in the telling of the story, Israel engages with her epistle writing victims in a humorous and almost magical way.
I would not suggest that Lee Israel's book excuses the significance of her crime. It does, however, provide us with a legitimate human experience that is surprisingly delightful.
Wonderful, witty book August 15, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this witty book. And Lee's "forgeries" of this marvelous cast of characters are great reading too! Thanks, Lee. I was happy to read these morsels and hope many more folks purchase it and enjoy it too! Now perhaps you could do a screenplay where these folks all sit around sipping a martini or three and chat!
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