Some of Our Favorite Literary Hoaxes

Irving perpetrated one of the greatest literary frauds of the 20th century, though now largely forgotten: He fabricated, seemingly out of whole cloth, an authorized autobiography for the reclusive and eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes. Irving managed to fool his publisher and curious journalists, producing fake letters and calling editors from exotic places (where he was supposedly interviewing Hughes). As publication neared, he was finally caught when Hughes himself said he had no idea who Irving was. The episode landed Irving in jail after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy. In 2012, the autobiography was published for the first time as an e-book. Later in life, Irving expressed befuddlement for why it had all gotten so out of hand. “I had never realized I was committing a crime,” he said. “I had thought of it as a hoax.”